The Effect of Pesticide Spray Season and Residential Proximity to Agriculture on Glyphosate Exposure among Pregnant People in Southern Idaho, 2021
Cynthia L. Curl, Carly Hyland, Meredith Spivak, Lianne Sheppard, Bruce P. Lanphear, Michael Antoniou, María Ospina, Antonia M. Calafat
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Glyphosate is one of the most heavily used pesticides in the world, but little is known about sources of glyphosate exposure in pregnant people living in agricultural regions. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate glyphosate exposure during pregnancy in relation to residential proximity to agriculture as well as agricultural spray season. METHODS: and 18, respectively). RESULTS: ). DISCUSSION: Pregnant people living near agriculture fields had significantly increased urinary glyphosate concentrations during the agricultural spray season than during the nonspray season. They also had significantly higher urinary glyphosate concentrations during the spray season than those who lived far from agricultural fields at any time of year, but concentrations did not differ during the nonspray season. These findings suggest that agricultural glyphosate spray is a source of exposure for people living near fields. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12768.