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| | | ![]() Pesticides Linked With Stillbirths CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- July 7, 1997 -- Exposure to pesticides early in pregnancy significantly increases the risk of a stillbirth, finds a study in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The detailed histories of 332 stillbirths and newborn deaths, caused by congenital abnormalities and internal complications, and 357 live births were assessed across 10 Californian counties. Regardless of cause of death, women exposed to pesticides for one month during the first three months of pregnancy had about 40 percent higher risk of those who had not been exposed to these chemicals; while women exposed over the entire first three months had almost three times the risk. Living within a quarter of a mile of commercial crops or being exposed to pesticides used at work or in the home for control of cockroaches and ants were the most common types of exposure among the women studied. The risks remained after known risk factors, such as alcohol and tobacco use and drug taking during the pregnancy, age, ethnicity and loss of a previous pregnancy, had been taken into account.
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