WOMEN : STUDY LINKS BIRTH DEFECTS WITH FLEA SPRAY.Byline: Angela La Voie Medical Tribune News Service New evidence connects environmental toxins with birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. , researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association The American Public Health Association (APHA) is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide. last week. One possible culprit is flea and tick spray, according to Dr. Janette D. Sherman, an adjunct professor of sociology at Western Michigan University Western Michigan University, at Kalamazoo, Mich.; coeducational; founded in 1903 as Western State Normal School, became accredited in 1927 as a college, gained university status in 1957. in Alexandria, Va. A by-product of the chlorine used to decontaminate de·con·tam·i·nate tr.v. de·con·tam·i·nat·ed, de·con·tam·i·nat·ing, de·con·tam·i·nates 1. To eliminate contamination in. 2. drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. also may increase the risk of birth defects, reported Judith Klotz, a researcher at the environmental health service of the New Jersey Department of Health in Trenton. In the first study, Sherman reported seeing eight children from different parts of the country with a variety of birth defects affecting the brain, face, eyes, ears, extremities or the heart. The mothers of the children had all been exposed to Dursban flea and tick spray while pregnant, she said at the meeting. Dursban is made by DowElanco in Indianapolis, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. Sherman said that all of the children were born to families that had other children without genetic abnormalities. ``Eight children shared four of the same defects,'' she said. ``The odds against this happening are 10 to the 32nd power to one. It seems like something definitely may be going on here.'' In a telephone interview, a DowElanco spokesperson said that the spray, which contains the chemical chlorpyrifos, does not lead to birth defects. Chlorpyrifos, which is also used to spray crops, is one of the five most commonly used pesticides, according to DowElanco. ``These products have been extensively tested and widely used since they came on the market in 1965,'' said Gary Hamlin, a DowElanco spokesperson. ``The general consensus of experts, including the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and , is that these are safe products.'' ``Research of the effects of flea and tick spray on common household pets has showed that the pesticide may cause fetal defects in animals,'' Lane Dillon, an environmental expert at the Prince Georges County Health Department in Md., said at the meeting. ``Animals and humans go through similar developmental processes, so it wouldn't be surprising if these products were a potential contaminant contaminant /con·tam·i·nant/ (kon-tam´in-int) something that causes contamination. contaminant something that causes contamination. in humans, especially when the products are used as room sprays,'' she said. The evidence in humans and animals suggesting that Dursban is unsafe is not credible, according to Dr. John Graham, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who was paid by DowElanco to examine three of the children on whom Sherman based her evidence. Graham said the children he saw had three unrelated genetic conditions and that Sherman's study should not lead parents to become frightened about using the common household pesticides. Of the animal evidence, he said, ``you have to give enough Dursban to the mother to poison her to cause any adverse affects in the fetuses.'' In a second study presented at the meeting, Klotz reported that the chlorine by-product trihalomethane tri·hal·o·meth·ane n. A chemical compound containing three halogen atoms substituted for the three hydrogen atoms normally present in a methane molecule. (THM) - used to rid drinking water of organic waste such as dead leaves - may be responsible for an increase in neural tube defects Neural tube defects A group of birth defects that affect the backbone and sometimes the spinal chord. Mentioned in: Birth Defects , based on an analysis of water samples and records of New Jersey infants. Water with a THM concentration greater than 80 parts per billion was associated with an increased incidence of three neural tube defects - including spina bifida, in which the spinal column does not close properly. Klotz suggested that the new findings may create a stronger case for the Environmental Protection Agency to change the level of THM in drinking water it considers safe from the current 100 parts per billion to 80 parts per billion, or even less. |
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