A study tracking more than 500 Spanish girls between the ages of 7 and 10 found that exposure to certain fungicides and insecticides is linked to changes in the onset of puberty, according to a Jul. 31 report. The research associates higher concentrations of fungicide residues in urine with earlier menarche, while a compound derived from the insecticide chlorpyrifos is connected to delayed menarche.
Researchers from the University of Granada and the ibs.granada Biomedical Research Institute analyzed data from 506 girls as part of the INMA (Childhood and Environment) collaborative birth cohort study. The findings, published in Environmental Research, indicate that higher levels of ethylenethiourea (ETU)—a residue from dithiocarbamate-type fungicides—were associated with an earlier first menstrual period. Conversely, detection of TCPy, a metabolite of chlorpyrifos, was linked to delayed menarche. This delay was more pronounced among overweight or obese girls.
The team collected urine samples when participants were between ages 7 and 10 during 2013-2016 across four Spanish regions: Asturias, Guipúzcoa, Sabadell, and Valencia. Follow-up continued until participants reached ages 14-16 to record their first menstruation date.
Puberty timing is regulated by the endocrine system but can be influenced by environmental factors such as chemical exposures. Endocrine disruptors like certain pesticides can mimic or block hormones' actions; foods produced through conventional agriculture are noted as a main route for these chemicals entering the body.
Early or late onset of puberty has significant long-term health consequences; early female puberty has been linked with psychological problems during adolescence and increased risk for hormone-dependent cancers later in life. Currently, both chlorpyrifos and several dithiocarbamate fungicides are banned in the European Union due to potential adverse effects on neurological development, fertility, and the environment. However, exposure continues via other pesticides whose safety remains debated.
The authors emphasize that while these results are pioneering regarding prospective assessment of pesticide effects on pubertal development, they should be interpreted cautiously pending further research in other populations.
