US Premature Births Linked To Increase In Pesticides And Nitrates In Water

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US Premature Births Linked To Increase In Pesticides And Nitrates In Water

Article Date: 09 May 2007 - 5:00 PDT

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=70400

America's increased use of pesticides and nitrates, which end up in

surface water and have a seasonal pattern, has been linked to the nation's

growing rate of premature births, which also follows a similar seasonal

pattern.

These are the conclusions of Dr Winchester, professor of clinical

pediatrics at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine who revealed

his findings this week at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic

Societies in Toronto, Canada.

Dr Winchester and colleagues Akosua Boadiwaa Adu-Boahene and L

Kosten, also of the IU School of Medicine, K on of the US

Geological Survey, and Dr Ying Jun, of the University of Cincinnati, found

that premature birth rates peaked when levels of pesticides and nitrates

in surface water were at their highest from April to July, and were lowest

when the chemicals were also at their lowest levels in August to

September.

The team studied over 27 million live American births occurring between

1996 and 2002. The percentage of babies born prematurely in that period

peaked in June (12.03 per cent) and was lowest in September (10.44 per

cent). The highest rate of preterm births took place from May to June

(11.91 per cent) and the lowest rate from August to September (10.79 per

cent).

The correlation between premature birth rates and levels of nitrates and

pesticides was independent of the mothers' age, race, education, marital

status, alcohol consumption and smoking status. The link was also

independent of whether the mothers lived in urban, suburban or rural places.

The US Geological Survey showed that pesticide and nitrate levels in

surface water were also at their highest from May to June, and at their

lowest from August to September, a pattern consistent with the preterm

birth levels over the same study period.

Last year Dr Winchester and his team revealed the results of an earlier 4

year study into pregnancy outcomes in Indiana and the US where significant

links were made between seasonal levels of pesticides and nitrates in

surface and drinking water and seasonal levels of birth defects.

Dr Winchester is a neonatal specialist and director of Newborn Intensive

Care Services at St Francis Hospital in Indianapolis. He is disturbed by

what he sees as the growing number of birth defects and pre-term babies,

which he puts down to growing levels of pesticides and nitrates that end

up in surface and drinking water:

" A growing body of evidence suggests that the consequence of prenatal

exposure to pesticides and nitrates as well as to other environmental

contaminants is detrimental to many outcomes of pregnancy. "

" We need to face up to environmental causes, " he added, explaining that:

" Preterm births in the United States vary month to month in a recurrent

and seasonal manner. Pesticides and nitrates similarly vary seasonally in

surface water throughout the US. Nitrates and pesticides can disrupt

endocrine hormones and nitric oxide pathways in the developing fetus. "

Dr Lemons, Hugh McK Landon Professor of Pediatrics and director of

the section of neonatal-perinatal medicine at the IU School of Medicine,

and head of neonatal-perinatal medicine at Clarian Health's Riley Hospital

for Children in Indianapolis, said of Dr Winchester's findings:

" I believe this work may lay the foundation for some of the most important

basic and clinical research, and public health initiatives of our time. "

" To recognize that what we put into our environment has potential pandemic

effects on pregnancy outcome and possibly on child development is a

momentous observation, which hopefully will help transform the way

humanity cares for its world, " he added.

The annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies brings together

scientists from the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric

Research, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association and the American Academy of

Pediatrics.

Pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture are primarily organic

chemicals and can end up in surface water due to run off from row crops.

There are other ways that potentially dangerous organic compounds can end

up in surface and drinking water, such as leaching from storage tanks,

factory discharge, landfills, emissions from waste incineration, discharge

from petroleum and metal refining, textile finishing, and various other

industrial processes.

Ingesting water contaminated with organic pesticides and herbicides causes

a range of potentially serious health problems depending on the chemical,

but a quick scan down the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list

of organic drinking water contaminants shows many of these to be linked to

organ damage and other serious illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular

problems.

US EPA's list of Drinking Water Contaminants.

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html

Prematurity, a Preemie Parent Support site run by volunteers (US based).

http://www.prematurity.org/

Written by: Catharine Paddock

Writer: Medical News Today

Copyright: Medical News Today

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