Analysis of pesticides in hair samples from pregnant women

The aim of this study was to measure the concentration of a hundred or so different pesticide molecules in strands of hair collected from mothers enrolled in the Elfe birth cohort (N = 311) who had just given birth in northeastern or southwestern France.

Analysis revealed a median of 43 chemicals per woman, and 28 substances were found in between 70% and 100% of the hair samples. The highest measured concentrations were of permethrin (pyrethroid insecticide), p-nitrophenol (fungicide) and pentachlorophenol (fungicide).

The authors concluded that each of the women in this sample had been simultaneously exposed to a variety of pesticides during pregnancy, some of which are suspected of being reproductive toxins or endocrine disrupters.

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