Association of environmental insecticide exposure and fetal growth with a Bayesian model including multiple exposure sources: the PELAGIE mother-child cohort

Abstract

It has been suggested that prenatal exposure to insecticides adversely affects fetal growth, but the overall results have been inconsistent, partly because of the different exposure sources and exposure assessments used. In the French PELAGIE (Perturbateurs Endocriniens: Étude Longitudinale sur les Anomalies de la Grossesse, l'Infertilité et l'Enfance) mother and child cohort (2002-2006), the authors investigated the association between fetal growth and insecticide exposure (n = 1,213) using an integrated Bayesian latent variable model to include multiple exposure sources: agricultural activities, nonorganic diet, household insecticide use on plants, and household insecticide use against insects. They used a questionnaire to collect information on household use and organic diet, and a national agricultural census provided data on agricultural activities in the women's municipalities of residence. A 0.10-cm decrease in head circumference at birth (95% credibility interval: -0.22, 0.01) was associated with fetal insecticide exposure from agricultural activities in the municipality of residence. Decreases in average birth weight (-27 g; 95% credibility interval: -59, 6) and head circumference (-0.12 cm; 95% credibility interval: -0.26, 0.01) were associated with household insecticide use to treat plants. The present results suggest an inverse association between fetal growth and prenatal insecticide exposure from nearby agricultural activity or household use. Bayesian modeling via latent variables is a natural framework for including multiple sources of exposure to environmental pollutants.