Exposure To Glyphosate, A Chemical Commonly Found In Herbicides, Could Lead To Lower Fetal Birth Weights, According To This New Study
Herbicides have long been known to negatively affect our environment. The chemicals used to destroy any unwanted vegetation can contaminate soil and run-off water and kill countless organisms such as insects, birds, and fish.
This month, though, a new study conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine revealed how herbicide exposure during pregnancy could be detrimental.
Back in 2018, the research team conducted its first study of glyphosate– a chemical used to kill weeds often found in products like Roundup.
Glyphosate is used throughout the United States but much more heavily in the Midwest– where farmers spray soybeans and corn.
That initial study revealed that glyphosate levels were identified in ninety-three percent of pregnancies. Moreover, this exposure was associated with shorter pregnancy terms.
And now, the researchers’ most recent study has found glyphosate to be present in ninety-nine percent of pregnant women they observed in the Midwest.
Their findings also concluded that higher glyphosate levels were linked to lower birth weight and could possibly lead to a higher risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission.
To come to this conclusion, the team observed a group of one hundred and eighty-seven pregnant women from Indiana for several years.
They also collected urine samples during the women’s first trimesters– which revealed that only one woman did not have glyphosate in their urine.
nuzza11 – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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“Pesticide exposure in pregnancy, especially in early pregnancy, can imprint DNA and alter gene expression,” explained Paul Winchester, the lead author of the study.
Still, how exactly the chemicals within pesticides can impact and alter fetal development is not entirely known.
So now, the researchers are calling for further research on pesticide impact on humans as opposed to animals and the environment– a topic that has been heavily studied.
“As a neonatologist, I am seeing more and more infants with problems like low birth weight as well as mothers with issues like obesity or gestational diabetes. We need to keep studying these herbicides long term to find out how they could be causing these issues and what we can do to prevent them,” urged Winchester.
And the team at the Indiana University School of Medicine hopes to lead this effort, starting with a long-term study of a larger group of pregnant women.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Environmental Health, visit the link here.
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