# Role of early postnatal exposure to non-persistent pesticides through breast milk on neurodevelopment

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2022 · $196,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Non-persistent pesticides are the cornerstone of modern agriculture, yet their routine application is particularly
worrisome to child-bearing and lactating women in view of studies linking maternal exposures to increased risk
of autism and neurodevelopmental problems in infants. The majority of studies to date have linked prenatal
exposures to autism spectrum disorders and impairments in social and cognitive domains. Data on risks
associated with early postnatal exposures via breast milk appears to be lacking, despite recent evidence showing
the presence of non-persistent pesticides in breast milk. Additionally, it is not known which circulating pesticides
accumulate in breast milk, and whether postnatal exposure risks to the infant are elevated for compounds that
preferentially partition into breast milk. The goal of this proposal is to quantify an array of non-persistent
pesticides in maternal breast milk and serum collected postnatally, in order to 1) relate pesticide concentrations
in breast milk to the risk of neurodevelopmental impairments; 2) understand the extent of non-persistent pesticide
partitioning from serum into breast milk; and 3) determine whether compounds that preferentially bioconcentrate
in milk pose more of a risk to infant neurodevelopment compared to those that partition less. These objectives
will be addressed in the “Markers of Autism Risk in Babies - Learning Early Signs” (MARBLES) cohort, which
enrolled pregnant mothers who have had a previous child with autism spectrum disorders and therefore are at
high risk of delivering another child who develops autism or atypical neurodevelopment in social and cognitive
domains. We hypothesize that non-persistent pesticides that highly partition into breast milk, will be associated
with increased risk of autism spectrum disorders and atypical neurodevelopment. This research will provide new
information on the neurodevelopmental risks associated with early postnatal exposure to non-persistent
pesticides, and determine whether these risks are specific to compounds that preferentially partition from blood
to breast milk. Identifying non-persistent compounds in breast milk that may adversely impact neurodevelopment
in the child, provides the basis for actively monitoring these chemicals in at-risk individuals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10373893
- **Project number:** 1R21ES032990-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Ameer Taha
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $196,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-02-21 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10373893

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10373893, Role of early postnatal exposure to non-persistent pesticides through breast milk on neurodevelopment (1R21ES032990-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10373893. Licensed CC0.

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