Do insecticide residues on food or indoor pesticides reduce birth weight?

What's actually in it

Insecticides are used on crops to control insects and residues remain on fruits and vegetables at harvest. Some are also applied indoors as sprays, in pest control strips, and in lawn treatments that can drift into homes.

Pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed primarily through food residues and indoor air. These chemicals cross the placenta and can interfere with fetal growth.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environment International measured multiple insecticide biomarkers in pregnant women and tracked birth outcomes. Mothers with higher combined insecticide exposure gave birth to babies with lower birth weight compared to mothers with lower exposure.

The mixture effect was important here too. No single insecticide alone drove the full effect. It was the combination of multiple pesticides interacting that produced the birth weight reduction. This is how real-world food exposure works: you're not eating one pesticide, you're eating the residues of many different ones on different foods.

Low birth weight is one of the most well-established risk factors for poor health outcomes throughout life: higher rates of infant mortality, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive deficits. Eating organic produce during pregnancy, especially for the highest-residue fruits and vegetables, can reduce this type of mixed insecticide exposure.