Association of pesticides and kidney function among adults in the US population 2001-2010

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease with unknown cause (CKDu) is prevalent in tropical and agricultural communities, however, its aetiology remains unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the association between pesticide exposures and the risk of kidney function loss using four waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to identify a pathological pathway. Methods We pooled data from four cross-sectional waves of NHANES, providing 41,847 participants in total. Sub-population analyses for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 3,5,6- trichloropyridinol, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) and Malathion were conducted using. Logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of the association between log-pesticide levels and kidney function. Results We found that Malathion acid increased the risk of low kidney function among the Malathion sub-population (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.01–1.56) in the adjusted model. Significantly increased risk of low kidney function was not found among the 2,4-D (aOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.72–1.09), 3,5,6-trichloropyridinol (aOR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.83–1.12) and 3-PBA (aOR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.94–1.13) subpopulations. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence of altered kidney function in people exposed to Malathion, highlighting the need to focus on Malathion acid as a potential cause of renal injury or chronic kidney disease.