Prenatal low-dose effects of pesticides and their long-term effects

Abstract

Abstract Due to diffuse distribution in the environment and migration along the food chains, pesticides affect non-target organisms, including during embryonic development. The prenatal period is a “critical window” of development for the body when the basic organs and systems are laid and formed. Even a slight effect on the body of ecotoxicants in this period can lead to developmental defects and further increases the risk of diseases and reproductive dysfunction. The studies examined regarding a low-dose, without visible clinical manifestations in mothers, prenatal exposure to pesticides, imitate the real conditions for the intake of toxicants in small quantities during pregnancy at different stages of embryonic development. The authors found that pesticides are capable of causing metabolic shifts and delayed behavioral changes in the offspring, which are a manifestation of the non-monotonous dose-response reaction associated with the presence of epigenetic mechanisms.