Pesticide Exposures and Risk of Preterm Birth

项目摘要 早产是指妊娠37周之前分娩。大约有1500万婴儿早产 全球患病率约为10%。美国早产率为 约13%，并在美国增加了几十年。自发性早产的危险因素 在很大程度上保持神秘。一系列的环境暴露已被评估为潜在的风险因素 包括杀虫剂在内。美国每年的农药使用量超过20亿美元， 该项目涉及超过1亿磅的化学品在环境中的应用。许多 这些化合物是生殖毒物。然而，还没有进行大规模的研究， 调查妊娠期农药暴露是否影响早产。这一重要的公共卫生 可能由于接触数据的可用性有限，加上缺乏 关于早产的流行病学数据。我们已经确定了弥补这一不足的必要因素 的信息。在这里，我们提出了有史以来最大和最严格的基于人群的流行病学研究 针对广泛的杀虫剂化合物对早产的影响进行了研究。我们建议 1）确定怀孕期间接触特定农药是否与以下因素有关： > 100 000名自然早产婴儿/胎儿的妇女，以及2）确定 暴露于生物功能分组（例如，内分泌干扰物或发育毒物）和 生理化学分组（例如，氨基甲酸酯、卤代烃和砷化物） 怀孕与> 100，000名妇女自发早产婴儿/胎儿有关。使用 现有的数据来源，我们提出了一个前所未有的和有效的机会，关闭这一知识 间隙这项人口规模的研究将在加州圣华金河谷进行，该地区是 被称为"世界粮食篮子"和"世界上最具生产力的农业地区。"那 圣华金河谷是一个广泛使用农药的地区， 社会经济地位和种族/民族背景。我们的团队已经证明有能力成功地 实施这个项目

PROJECT SUMMARY Preterm birth involves deliveries before 37 weeks gestation. Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm every year in the world with a global prevalence approximating 10%. Prevalence of preterm birth in the US is approximately 13% and has increased in the US for decades. Risk factors of spontaneous preterm birth remain largely mysterious. An array of environmental exposures has been evaluated as potential risk factors for preterm birth including pesticides. Pesticide use in the US represents more than $2 billion/year in expenditures and involves the application of >100 million pounds of chemicals in the environment. Many of these chemical compounds are reproductive toxicants. However, large-scale studies have not been done to investigate whether gestational pesticide exposures influence preterm birth. This important public health hypothesis has been under studied likely owing to the limited availability of exposure data coupled with the lack of good epidemiologic data on preterm births. We have identified the necessary elements to remedy this lack of information. Here we propose the largest and most rigorous population-based epidemiologic study ever conducted that targets a breadth of pesticide compounds for their influence on preterm birth. We propose the following aims: 1) To determine whether exposures to specific pesticides during pregnancy are associated with >100,000 women spontaneously delivering infants/fetuses prematurely and 2) To determine whether exposures to biologically-functional groupings (e.g., endocrine disruptors or developmental toxicants) and physiochemical groupings (e.g., carbamates, halogenated hydrocarbons, and arsenicals) of pesticides during pregnancy are associated with >100,000 women spontaneously delivering infants/fetuses prematurely. Using existing data sources, we are proposing an unprecedented and efficient opportunity to close this knowledge gap. This population-scale study will be conducted in the California San Joaquin Valley - an area that is referred to as the "food basket of the world" and as "the most productive agricultural region in the world." The San Joaquin Valley is an area with demonstrated extensive pesticide use and an area diverse in socioeconomic status and race/ethnic background. Our group has demonstrated capability to successfully carry out this project