Low prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides was not associated with autism traits in a study of U.S. children.Findings were consistent after adjusting for diet and between boys and girls.The results do not mean pesticide exposure is safe at higher exposures, the researchers emphasized.
Relatively low levels of prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides showed no relationship with social communication problems and other traits related to autism in children, data from the prospective ECHO study showed.
The study assessed maternal values of six dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy), a specific metabolite resulting from chlorpyrifos breakdown.
Neither was linked with parent-reported autism-related traits (β per doubling of TCPy concentration = -0.13, 95% CI -0.57 to 0.31; β per doubling of DAP = -0.42, 95% CI -1.03 to 0.19), reported Haleigh Cavalier, PhD, MPH, of NYU Langone Health in New York City, and co-authors.
Results were consistent after adjusting for dietary confounders, in different models and sensitivity analyses, and for both boys and girls, the researchers wrote in JAMA Pediatrics.
