Birth Defects Res

Background:Previously we observed elevated odds ratios (ORs) for total pesticide exposure and ten birth defects: three congenital heart defects and structural defects affecting the gastrointestinal, genitourinary and musculoskeletal systems. This analysis examines association of those defects with exposure to seven commonly applied pesticide active ingredients.Methods:Cases were live-born singleton infants from the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program linked to birth records for 2003\u20132005; non-cases served as controls (total n=304,906). Pesticide active ingredient exposure was assigned using a previously constructed metric based on crops within 500 meters of residence, dates of pregnancy, and likely chemical application dates for each pesticide-crop combination. ORs (95% CI) were estimated with logistic regression for categories of exposure compared to unexposed. Models were adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity, age at delivery, education, marital status, and smoking status.Results:Associations varied by birth defect and pesticide combinations. For example, hypospadias was positively associated with exposures to 2,4-D (OR50-90th exposures); associations with paraquat were null or inconsistent (OR 50-