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A new study has identified the ingestion of a pesticide in pregnant women to be positively correlated with respiratory complications, like pneumonia, bronchitis, or wheezing in the newborn.
The pesticide, known as DDE, is a broken-down compound of the notorious DDT. It may be absorbed through food ingestion or through breathing.
DDT was once commonly used to fight malaria but health concerns eventually pulled it off the US market in 1973. Its symptoms range from seizures to vomiting, according to the CDC. In 2006, the WHO gave its nod to the use of DDT only along the inside walls of buildings, so that mosquitoes would die upon coming into contact with sprayed walls.
As it stands, it is difficult to avoid contact with DDE or DDT, at least at moderate levels. These chemicals are stored in fats and are found more often in species higher on the food chain. The lead author of the study suggested to cut down on fatty foods to stay away from DDE.
The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, is the largest of its kind. It followed 1455 pregnant women in Spain, 1342 of whom gave birth successfully. The women were monitored for exposure to three different pollutants and the babies were surveyed within their first year for breathing or lung issues. 35% were found to have developed a lung infection and their risk was correlated with the levels of DDE in the mother. Low levels of DDE would have garnered an estimated 30% infection rate.
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