Human Risk Associated with Long-Term
Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides
Anne-Marie Saillenfait and Stéphane Malard
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
2 Materials and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
3 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
3.1 Respiratory Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
3.2 Thyroid Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
3.3 Reproductive Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
3.4 Prenatal Exposure and Outcomes at Birth and in Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
3.5 Neurological Outcomes (Adult Exposure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
3.6 Neurodevelopment After Prenatal and/or Childhood Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
3.7 Other Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Abstract The aim of this review is to provide a broad summary of the latest state of
knowledge about the potential long-term adverse effects of pyrethroids on human
health. The oldest and recent epidemiological studies mainly addressed respiratory,
neurological, hormonal, and reproductive outcomes in adults after environmental
and occupational exposures. Although several of these studies have suggested
negative effects, especially on male hormonal and sperm parameters, findings
were often equivocal or inconsistent across studies, and no firm and reliable conclusions can be reached yet. Regarding developmental outcomes, there is increasing
evidence that fetal exposure to pyrethroids may be associated with poorer children’s
neurodevelopment. Prevention measures should be considered to reduce exposure of
pregnant women and children to these widely used insecticides.
A.-M. Saillenfait (*)
Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
e-mail: anne-marie.saillenfait@inrs.fr
S. Malard
Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, Paris, France
Ethel Eljarrat (ed.), Pyrethroid Insecticides,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 92: 259–304, DOI 10.1007/698_2019_427,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 29 February 2020
259
Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides
Anne-Marie Saillenfait and Stéphane Malard
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
2 Materials and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
3 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
3.1 Respiratory Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
3.2 Thyroid Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
3.3 Reproductive Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
3.4 Prenatal Exposure and Outcomes at Birth and in Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
3.5 Neurological Outcomes (Adult Exposure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
3.6 Neurodevelopment After Prenatal and/or Childhood Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
3.7 Other Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Abstract The aim of this review is to provide a broad summary of the latest state of
knowledge about the potential long-term adverse effects of pyrethroids on human
health. The oldest and recent epidemiological studies mainly addressed respiratory,
neurological, hormonal, and reproductive outcomes in adults after environmental
and occupational exposures. Although several of these studies have suggested
negative effects, especially on male hormonal and sperm parameters, findings
were often equivocal or inconsistent across studies, and no firm and reliable conclusions can be reached yet. Regarding developmental outcomes, there is increasing
evidence that fetal exposure to pyrethroids may be associated with poorer children’s
neurodevelopment. Prevention measures should be considered to reduce exposure of
pregnant women and children to these widely used insecticides.
A.-M. Saillenfait (*)
Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
e-mail: anne-marie.saillenfait@inrs.fr
S. Malard
Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, Paris, France
Ethel Eljarrat (ed.), Pyrethroid Insecticides,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 92: 259–304, DOI 10.1007/698_2019_427,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 29 February 2020
259