Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides among Pregnant Women Participating in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)

Abstract

Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) exhibit neurodevelopmental toxicity. To evaluate the effect of prenatal exposure to OPPs in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, a nationally representative birth cohort study, 4575 maternal urine samples were analysed for six OPP metabolites, i.e., dialkylphosphates (DAPs). This study aimed to investigate predictors of urinary DAPs using machine learning approaches and to assess the cumulative risk based on relative potency factors among Japanese pregnant women. The median creatinine-normalised urinary concentrations (interquartile ranges) of dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphate and diethylphosphate, which had a detection rate of 50% or higher, were 3.53 (1.91–6.78), 4.09 (1.66–10.8) and 3.28 (1.88–5.98) µg/g-creatinine, respectively. Possible predictors of urinary DAP concentrations were the month of urine sampling, consumption of apple and maternal body mass index. When fenitrothion was used as an index chemical for cumulative risk assessment, 0.36% of participants exceeded the lower 95% confidence limit of the benchmark dose10.

Association between Haematological Parameters and Exposure to a Mixture of Organophosphate and Neonicotinoid Insecticides among Male Farmworkers in Northern Thailand

“…Biomonitoring studies have shown that farmers/farmworkers and pest control operators engaged in agriculture are at high risk of exposure to OPs differing from non-occupational populations such as food contributors and consumers [3,4]. Exposure to OP insecticides can be assessed through measuring urinary common dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolites including dimethylphosphate (DMP), dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP), dimethyldithiophosphate (DMDTP), diethylphosphate (DEP), diethylthiophosphate (DETP) and diethyldithiophosphate (DEDTP) [5][6][7]. Epidemiological studies have provided evidence that exposure to OPs, measured through DAP metabolites, increases the risk of diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease [8][9][10][11].…”