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County-Level Atrazine Use and Gastroschisis.
Sunaya R Krishnapura1,2, Elizabeth McNeer2,3, William D Dupont2,3
1Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
JAMA Network Open
|May 6, 2024
Summary
Increased pesticide atrazine use in counties was linked to higher rates of gastroschisis, a birth defect. This study suggests exploring alternatives to atrazine in the US may be warranted due to potential health concerns.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Toxicology
Background:
- Gastroschisis incidence has risen in the US since the 1960s.
- The pesticide atrazine is a suspected cause, but research is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate national gastroschisis incidence trends.
- Identify maternal and infant characteristics associated with gastroschisis.
- Examine the association between county-level atrazine use and gastroschisis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, repeated cross-sectional study using US birth certificate data (2009-2019).
- Analysis included county-level atrazine use data from the US Geological Survey.
- Mixed-effects logistic regression models assessed the association between atrazine exposure and gastroschisis incidence.
Main Results:
- Over 39 million births analyzed; 10,527 cases of gastroschisis identified.
- Infants with gastroschisis had mothers with specific demographic and health profiles.
- Higher county-level atrazine use was significantly associated with increased gastroschisis incidence (AORs ranging from 1.12 to 1.21).
Conclusions:
- Higher county atrazine levels correlate with increased infant gastroschisis diagnoses.
- Atrazine is a widely used herbicide in the US, banned in other countries due to health concerns.
- Findings support exploring atrazine alternatives in the US.
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