One Exposure. Twenty Generations Later, the Damage Is Still Unfolding

A single exposure to a toxic agricultural fungicide during pregnancy can echo through 20 generations — with inherited disease risks from kidney disease to infertility not fading, but worsening over time, according to groundbreaking research published Tuesday.

The study, which appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, tracked rats whose ancestors were exposed in the womb to vinclozolin, a fungicide once widely sprayed on turf grass and fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, raspberries, lettuce, and grapes, including wine grapes. Researchers found that chemical changes that regulate how genes are switched on or off in developing embryos and throughout life — known as epigenetics, or “epimutations” — remained altered in sperm 23 generations later.

Later generations showed more severe disease, declining fertility, and lethal birth complications than earlier ones. In some generations, mothers and entire litters died during childbirth. Just as striking, researchers also found a small number of rare DNA mutations.