Home pesticides harmful to unborn babies, says expert

MANILA, Philippines—A United States-based Filipino doctor who specializes in caring for premature babies or neonates yesterday warned against the use of pesticides and insecticides at home to combat mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria.

Dr. Enrique Ostrea, a visiting neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, said popular insecticides such as Baygon and Katol (mosquito coils) contain toxic compounds such as propoxur and pyrethroids which are harmful to humans, especially to the unborn and children.

Instead of relying on pesticides, Ostrea recommended proactive measures to reduce the problems of mosquitos, flies and roaches at home such as the clearing of insect breeding grounds, general cleanliness and the use of screens.

“There should be judicious use of pesticides, particularly home pesticides. And spraying of pesticides should not be done by pregnant women and children,” he said, citing local studies that showed that high exposure to pesticides could be detected in the hair, stool and blood of newborns.

The study, entitled “Fetal Exposure to Environmental Toxicants and Infant Outcome,” was was initiated by Ostrea and associates in 2003 among 936 pregnant women at the Bulacan Provincial Hospital in Malolos who had reported the common use of pesticides in their homes and farms.

Ostrea, a visiting professor of the University of the Philippines-College of Medicine, said the study showed that “the higher the exposure to propoxur, which is a component of Baygon, the more significant the effects on the motor development of the child.”

Ostrea spoke at a weekly health forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians in Quezon City.

According to Ostrea, Baygon Mosquito Roach Killer, for example, contains the toxic ingredients cyfluthrin (73 percent) and propoxur, while mosquito coil Katol has bioallethrin (26 percent).

“Pesticides are toxic to the brain and the nervous system, and the fetal brain is highly vulnerable to these,” Ostrea said.

He said that the development quotient was significantly lower for children who were exposed to pesticides and insecticides while inside the womb. Among the possible adverse effects of pesticides on children are autism, hearing loss, and abnormality in chromosomes that could lead to leukemia (chromosonal biomarkers). –Cynthia Balana, Philippine Daily Inquirer