Arecent study has concluded that exposure to a common pesticide increases the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality.

 

As reported by medicalnewstoday.com , the study focused on a class of pesticides called pyrethroids used in agriculture and for residential pest control. The authors of the new study wrote, “Pyrethroids are present in household and garden insecticides, pet sprays and shampoos, lice treatments, and mosquito repellents.

 

“It accounts for around 30 per cent of all pesticides in use worldwide. Also, because people phased organophosphates out for residential use, their use of pyrethroids has risen sharply in recent decades. Pyrethroids can enter the body via inhalation, ingestion, or absorption into the skin. Once inside, the body breaks them down into metabolites and excretes them in urine within a few hours.

 

“Because of this quick turnaround, measuring these metabolites in urine is a reliable way of assessing a person’s recent exposure to pyrethroids. These chemicals are popular because they are effective against insects and have no short-term impacts on human health.”

 

The researchers had access to information from 2,116 adults aged 20 or older, which they took from data collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Overall, the study authors concluded, “In the sample, environmental exposure to pyrethroid insecticides was associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.”