For Families Living Near Farms, Pesticide Exposure Could Affect Babies Even Before Pregnancy

Pesticide exposure may affect the health of a baby even before a person becomes pregnant, according to a new study released last week.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Arizona, relied on birth certificate data and the state’s pesticide use registry to figure out whether people who lived near farms where pesticides had been sprayed, both before and after they became pregnant, were more likely to have babies that had low Apgar scores. The Apgar score is a metric used by doctors to quickly determine the health of a baby at birth.

The research focused on three classes of commonly used pesticides — organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates — and found that several ingredients were linked to lower Apgar scores for women who gave birth and lived within roughly 500 yards of where pesticides had been sprayed on crops. Research has found that lower Apgar scores can indicate a higher likelihood of neurological anomalies like cerebral palsy.