The respiratory consequences of pesticides are poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that pesticide exposure in both residential and agricultural settings may influence respiratory health of children and adults, although data on specific chemicals are limited. While studies of workers have been conducted, limited work has addressed the respiratory health effects of pesticides to young women and their children. Some exposures may contribute to the development of respiratory diseases such as asthma, while other exposures may act as irritants to contribute to respiratory symptoms or asthma exacerbation. Animal models describe potential mechanisms by which specific chemicals including organophosphate insecticides and phenoxy herbicides may contribute to respiratory and allergic outcomes in humans. Pyrethroid pesticides have been associated with allergic reactions in humans. To better understand the role of pesticides and respiratory outcomes in women and children, we plan to take advantage of an ongoing birth cohort study of women and their children who are well characterized with respect to environmental pesticide exposure and other potential respiratory hazards. The overall aim of this project is to better understand how exposure to commonly used pesticides influences respiratory outcomes in women and their children. We propose to conduct a respiratory disease survey of ~350 mother- child pairs participating in The Infant Environmental Health Study, 'Infantes y Salud Ambiental' (ISA) study in Matina County, Costa Rica, the primary banana growing region. Exposure to pesticides has been well characterized in this population to date using biological samples. Common exposures in this population include pyrethroid insecticides; the insecticide chlorpyrifos; the herbicide 2,4 D; and the fungicides mancozeb and pyrimethanil.
Our specific aims are to 1) Evaluate the association of specific pesticide exposures on respiratory and allergic outcomes in young women and 2) Evaluate the association of specific pesticide exposures both prenatally and postnatally with respiratory and allergic outcome in children. For both women and children, we will collect information on respiratory symptoms and disease using standard questionnaires and will link it with the previously collected comprehensive pesticide exposure data along with current urinary measures, to evaluate specific pesticide exposures and respiratory outcomes. This analysis will complement and expand upon findings from US birth cohorts and, for women, this study will advance the field as few data on pesticide respiratory risks are available for women. Our goal is to better understand how common pesticide exposures influence the respiratory health of women and children. Women are an understudied population with respect to pesticide health effects, and children are a vulnerable population as exposures during development may adversely impact lifetime respiratory health. This project will study respiratory health effects of pesticides that are extensively used worldwide, and to which US populations are commonly exposed.
Pesticide exposure during pregnancy, as well as current pesticide exposure, may influence the respiratory health of children. Pesticide exposure may also influence the respiratory health of young women. This project will assess pesticide exposure and respiratory symptoms in young children and their mothers living in the primary banana- producing region of Costa Rica, a region with high environmental pesticide exposure.
