![]() |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 23, 2004 #04-07 23 Mar 2004: First Human Study to Show Benefits to Newborns from Federal Ban on Home Use of Two InsecticidesA federal ban on two insecticides has resulted in a significant reduction in their impact on newborns' birth weight and length, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (http://www.niehs.nih.gov) of the National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov) The results of the study - the first one to demonstrate the benefits of the ban during pregnancy in human subjects - will be published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the monthly peer-reviewed journal of the NIEHS. It is now available online at http://www.ehponline.org/ (http://www.ehponline.org/). The study, released by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/ccceh/index.html) In the study, researchers measured the levels of the two insecticides in blood drawn from the umbilical cords after delivery, both before and after the ban, and correlated those levels with the babies' birth weight and length. All blood samples were frozen and stored at -70 degrees Centigrade in order to ensure the stability of the pesticides. Subsequent analyses were performed on frozen samples at three different times -- spring 2001, summer 2002 and fall 2002. They found that prior to January 2001, newborns with combined insecticide exposures in the highest 26th percentile had birth weights averaging almost 200 grams (almost half a pound) less than infants with no detectable pesticide levels. The researchers also noted a highly significant inverse association between the combined exposures and newborn birth length. However, when they looked at the relationship between insecticide exposures and fetal growth after January 2001, the exposure levels had been reduced substantially, and the impact on weight and length was no longer apparent. "This human study confirms the developmental impact, shown previously in animal studies, of these insecticides," said Dr. Robin M. Whyatt (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/ccceh/people/principal-investigators.html#Anchor-Robin-11481) "The differences in fetal growth seen here are comparable to the differences between babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy and babies whose mothers don't," said Whyatt. "The fact that the ban was associated with such an immediate change in birth weight and length provides considerable evidence of cause and effect." According to the study investigators, the widespread use of the two pesticides makes them good candidates for a residential study of this kind. Chlorpyrifos, for instance, was the most frequently used residential insecticide in New York City prior to the ban. Both compounds are still widely used in agriculture and continue to be found in the food supply. "This study is good news for our nation's children," said Dr. Frederica P. Perera (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/ccceh/people/principal-investigators.html#Anchor-Frederica-49575) The study is part of a broader, multi-year research project, "The Mothers & Children Study In New York City (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/ccceh/research/mothers_newborns.html) Other co-authors of this study include Dr. Virginia Rauh (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/ccceh/people/principal-investigators.html#Anchor-Virginia-47857) For more information or a copy of the study, please contact Heather Ross at 212-576-2700, extension 243. |
|
![]() ![]() ![]() |
|