Reproductive outcomes following environmental exposure to DDT

Reprod Toxicol. 2006 Jul;22(1):5-7. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2005.12.006. Epub 2006 Feb 10.

Abstract

We used official statistics of births and stillbirths in 1945-1954 to evaluate reproductive outcomes in the general population following use of DDT during a 1946-1950 anti-malarial campaign in the Italian region of Sardinia. Due to the disruption of registration systems in the World War II years, data in the pre-DDT years were available only for 1945-1946. Such a short period of observation, and social conditions in the war and post-war years, do not allow exclusion of adverse effects of DDT on birth rate; however, we did not observe an effect. The stillbirth rate, infant mortality rate, and male/female ratio in newborns were apparently unaffected following widespread but focused use of DDT in Sardinia, Italy.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Birth Rate / trends
  • DDT / poisoning*
  • Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant Mortality / trends
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Outcome*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sex Ratio
  • Stillbirth / epidemiology
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • DDT