A large pooled study reveals that low-level prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides does not significantly influence autism-related traits in children, providing reassurance amid mixed previous research findings.
A large pooled study has found no link between prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and autism-related traits in children, offering reassurance that the low-level exposures seen in the general population do not appear to be a major driver of those traits. The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, drew on data from 3,339 mother-child pairs across 20 sites in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes cohort and assessed children at an average age of 6.4 years using the Social Responsiveness Scale, a standard measure of autism-related characteristics.
Haleigh Cavalier and colleagues at NYU Langone Medical Center analysed urinary biomarkers of pesticide exposure during pregnancy, including metabolites tied to organophosphate compounds. In crude analyses, some associations appeared to point in the opposite direction, but those findings weakened after full adjustment for other factors and were no longer statistically significant. The team said the results were consistent across sex-stratified models, alternative statistical approaches and sensitivity checks, and they found no evidence that diet quality changed the outcome.
The findings fit with a mixed but increasingly cautious body of research. A 2018 study in Environmental Health Perspectives suggested that prenatal organophosphate exposure may be linked to poorer social behaviour, although it did not find clear evidence that living near agricultural pesticide use during pregnancy was tied to autism-related traits. Another 2018 study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health found no significant association with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental concerns at age three. A 2022 study in Autism Research also reported no meaningful link between prenatal dietary pesticide residues and autism-related traits.
Cavalier said organophosphate pesticides are known to affect the developing brain, but added that they were not a major factor in autism-related characteristics at the relatively low exposure levels observed in the study. She cautioned that the findings should not be taken to mean such pesticides are safe, and should not be used to rule out possible risks at higher exposures or in more vulnerable groups.
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