Exposure of Pregnant Women to Pyrethroid Insecticides in Rio de Janeiro and Repercussions on Pregnancy and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Childhood and Environmental Pollutant Project (PIPA)

MARTINS, Amanda Alzira Friaes. Exposure of Pregnant Women to Pyrethroid Insecticides in Rio de Janeiro and Repercussions on Pregnancy and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Childhood and Environmental Pollutant Project (PIPA) Dissertation (Master in Public Health) – Institute of Studies in Public Health, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2019.

The economic benefits of modernizing agriculture came at the cost of increasing exposure to a wide variety of toxic products. Among these, pyrethroids have surpassed the agricultural environment and entered the domestic environment, especially in areas with a high prevalence of arboviruses, such as Rio de Janeiro. Pregnant women and newborns are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of pollutants. A questionnaire with socioeconomic, health and exposure information, the collection of urine from pregnant woman and a birth information form allowed for assessments concerning the presence of 3-PBA and 4-FPBA metabolites in mother urine and their association with several questionnaire and form variables. Significant associations were observed between urinary excretion of pyrethroid metabolites and smoking during pregnancy, depression, diabetes, and low birth weight. The results of the present study point to environmental exposure to pyrethroids among pregnant women in the city of Rio de Janeiro and possible consequences for the health of both pregnant women and newborns.