In a new study, researchers found that people with higher levels of a chemical in their body that indicates exposure to commonly used insecticides may die of heart disease at a much higher rate.
They found those who have high levels of exposure to pyrethroid insecticides are three times more likely to die of heart disease than people with low or no exposure.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Iowa.
Pyrethroids are among the list of commonly used insecticides with the largest market share and they constitute the majority of commercial household insecticides.
They are found in numerous commercial insecticide brands and are used widely in agricultural, public, and residential settings for pest control.
Metabolites of pyrethroids, such as 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, can be measured in the urine of people who are exposed to pyrethroids.
In the study, the team analyzed data on 3-phenoxybenzoic acid levels in urine samples collected from 2,116 adults aged 20 and over who participated in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2002.
They cross-referenced mortality records to determine how many of those adults in their data sample had died by 2015 and of what cause.
They found that during an average 14 years of observation, those people who had the highest levels of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid in their urine samples were 56% more likely to have died of any cause by 2015 than people with the lowest levels of exposure.
Heart disease was by far the leading cause of death, with a three times greater likelihood.
The findings come from an analysis of a nationally representative sample of American adults, not just those who work in agriculture.
That means the findings have public health relevance to the general population.
The team says most exposure to pyrethroids is through food, as people who eat fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with them ingest the chemical.
Residential use of pyrethroids in gardens and homes for pest-control is also a big source of exposure. Pyrethroids are also present in household dust in homes that apply these pesticides.
One author of the study is Wei Bao, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
The study is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
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