{"id":40226,"date":"2025-11-13T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T05:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=40226"},"modified":"2025-11-14T10:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:42:23","slug":"prenatal-insecticide-exposure-linked-to-negative-birth-outcomes-in-a-biomonitoring-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/11\/prenatal-insecticide-exposure-linked-to-negative-birth-outcomes-in-a-biomonitoring-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Prenatal Insecticide Exposure Linked to Negative Birth Outcomes in a Biomonitoring Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, November 13, 2025) A study in Environmental Science & Technology <\/em><\/a>shows that maternal exposure to organophosphate<\/a> (OP) and pyrethroid<\/a> insecticides adversely affects newborn health. Through amino acid and acylcarnitine<\/a> metabolomics (the study of small molecules known as metabolites) with over 400 mother-infant pairs, this research analyzes metabolic pathways linking pesticide exposure to negative birth outcomes. \u201cTo our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal the effect of OP and pyrethroid insecticide exposure on neonatal metabolic signatures, which may elucidate a key role of metabolites in insecticide exposure and birth outcomes,\u201d the authors state.<\/p>\n

In collecting maternal urine samples in the first and third trimesters, as well as neonatal blood samples after birth, OP and pyrethroid metabolites and metabolomic biomarkers are assessed. Notably, the authors report: \u201cResults indicated that third-trimester maternal urinary levels of 3- phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) and diethyl dithiophosphate (DEDTP) were negatively associated with birth weight. Specifically, a one-unit increase in their ln-transformed<\/a> [natural logarithm form] concentrations was associated with a 1.508% decrease in birth weight for 3-PBA and a 1.366% decrease for DEDTP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the analyses show that OP and pyrethroid exposure is associated with \u201cdisrupted neonatal amino acids and acylcarnitine profiles, with patterns varying by trimesters and sexes.\u201d As a novel study, this research reveals a link between neonatal metabolomics and OP\/pyrethroid exposure to developmental toxicity not previously seen, which, as the authors explain, suggests \u201cthat disruptions in acylcarnitine-mediated energy metabolism may contribute to adverse birth outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Study Importance and Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

The widespread use of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides across the globe, for both agricultural and urban pest control, presents a threat to human health and the environment. Exposure to OPs and pyrethroids can occur through dietary intake, as well as through the air or skin with residential applications and agricultural activities. As Beyond Pesticides has documented (see below), these compounds have a wide range of adverse effects including neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and respiratory failure, among others.<\/p>\n

The researchers note: \u201cThe detection rates of urinary OP and pyrethroid metabolites in general populations across different countries and regions typically exceed 60%, indicating widespread human exposure to these pesticides. OP and pyrethroid insecticides are able to cross the placental barrier into the fetal environment, and their metabolites have been detected in cord blood, placenta, and amniotic fluid. Therefore, continuous exposure to these insecticides indicates that potential health risks may be present, especially during pregnancy, as fetuses are highly vulnerable to the effects of environmental hazards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Understanding the effects of prenatal exposure to pesticides is crucial, as fetal and infant development<\/a> influence long-term health outcomes. At delivery, important fetal growth measures are assessed, including birth weight, birth length, and gestational age, which are also risk factors for future morbidity (diseases) during infancy and adulthood.<\/p>\n

Both amino acids and acylcarnitines are \u201ckey biomarkers reflecting the most critical determinants of neonatal development, particularly nutritional and metabolic status,\u201d the authors share. While amino acids serve as the building blocks for protein synthesis and tissue supply, which plays an important role in maintaining protein homeostasis throughout the body, acylcarnitines are fatty acid metabolites that are involved with numerous processes for metabolism.<\/p>\n

Methodology and Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers, in conducting a prospective cohort study of 406 mothers and their newborns, \u201cinvestigate the associations between maternal exposure to OP and pyrethroid insecticides, neonatal birth outcomes, and alterations in neonatal amino acid and acylcarnitine metabolomic profiles.\u201d By employing repeated biomarker measurements during both early and late pregnancy, this study provides \u201cmore precise epidemiological evidence for identifying critical exposure windows linking OP and pyrethroid exposure to adverse neonatal outcomes,\u201d the authors state. They continue, \u201cMore importantly, our findings offer novel insights into how prenatal exposure to these insecticides in humans may disrupt fetal development through amino acid and acylcarnitine metabolic pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maternal urine samples were collected during the first and third trimesters and analyzed for five nonspecific OP metabolites (dimethyl phosphate (DMP), diethylphosphate (DEP), dimethyl thiophosphate (DMTP), dimethyl dithiophosphate (DMDTP), and diethyl dithiophosphate (DEDTP)), as well as a nonspecific metabolite of up to 20 pyrethroids (3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA)) and a specific metabolite of cyfluthrin<\/a> and flumethrin<\/a> (4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (4F-3PBA)).\u00a0<\/p>\n

After babies were born, trained medical staff collected the newborn data and heel-prick blood samples between 48\u221272 hours post-delivery. The blood samples were analyzed for a total of 12 amino acids and 26 acylcarnitines that play a role in metabolism and development.<\/p>\n

The results include:<\/p>\n