A pilot study of maternal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and newborn neurodevelopment in Thailand

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether prenatal exposures to organophosphate (OP) pesticides from maternal agricultural use are associated with neonatal neurobehavioral effects. A pilot study conducted in three provinces in Thailand measured maternal urinary metabolites of OP pesticides in pregnant women at 7 months gestation and at birth. Within 3 days of birth, 82 newborns underwent neurobehavioral testing using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). Comparison of the NBAS test results with maternal OP metabolite levels found the neonates NBAS Habituation cluster score increased with maternal dimethylphosphate (DMP) levels (p = 0.04) while the Range of State score increased with total diethylphosphate (DEP) levels (p = 0.01). The Number of Abnormal Reflexes in the neonate also increased as maternal urinary total DEP levels increased (p = 0.06). These preliminary findings suggest that pre-natal exposures to OP pesticides can impact newborn neurodevelopment and support the need for a longitudinal evaluation of childhood neurodevelopment in relation to pesticide exposures in Thailand.