Note: The project officially ended on 25 March 2025. The dissemination of project results is currently underway.

Summary: Epidemiological studies and animal experiments indicate the potential adverse effects of exposure to pyrethroid (PYR) and organophosphate (OP) insecticides on brain and sexual development in children, even at very low exposure levels. However, limited number of studies explored these potential risks during puberty, with inconsistent results and significant methodological limitations, such as insufficiently assessed exposure and cross-sectional study design. The main objective of the proposed research is to assess the risk of PYR and OP insecticide exposure to neuropsychological development and hormonal status in prepubertal and pubertal boys in a 2-year cohort study, while controlling for potential confounders, and using only non-invasive methods. Children’s exposure to PYR and OP insecticides will be assessed by biomonitoring (analysing urinary pesticide metabolites) in the 5th and 7th grades of elementary school, and by dietary exposure assessment – 24-hour dietary recall on five occasions during 2-year follow-up. In the 5th and 7th grades, neuropsychological development will be evaluated by testing attention, memory and simple psychomotor response speed, and by assessing the characteristics of child’s sleep and behaviour. Pubertal development will be evaluated by clinical examination (according to Tanner and Prader), and urinary gonadotropins and salivary sex hormones (testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) measurements. The research is expected to 1) increase the knowledge on possible risks of PYR and OP insecticides’ exposure for neurodevelopment and hormonal status in pubertal boys; 2) help to recognise deficiencies and assess available methodology for evaluation of developmental neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption within the framework of regulatory toxicology; 3) improve the insufficient methodology for exposure assessment of non-bioaccumulative pesticides; 4) contribute to the better characterisation of pesticide exposure in the Croatian population.

The project was funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The project lasted from 1 February 2020 to 25 March 2025.

Project leader: dr. sc. Veda Marija Varnai, dr. med., znan. savj. u tr. zv.

Research team members:

  • dr. sc. Željka Babić, mag. pharm., viši znan. sur.
  • Iva Bebek, mag. ing. techn. aliment.
  • doc. dr. sc. Adrijana Bjelajac (prije Košćec), prof. psih. i psihoterapeutkinja, viši znan. sur.
  • dr. sc. Jasminka Bobić, prof. psih., znan. sur. u tr. zv.
  • prof. dr. sc. Selma Cvijetić Avdagić, dr. med., spec. epid., znan. savj. u tr. zv.
  • doc. dr. sc. Eva Anđela Delale, prof. psih.
  • dr. sc. Katja Dumić Kubat, spec. pedijatrije
  • Dr.  Jim Garvey, B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D. Organic Chemistry
  • prim. doc. dr. sc. Romana Gjergja Juraški, dr. med., spec. neuropedijatar
  • dr. sc. Matijana Jergović (rođ. Grgić), dr. med., spec. epid. i ekolog.
  • dr. sc. Gordana Jurak, dipl. ing. sig.
  • dr. sc. Andreja Jurič, mag. ing. bioproc., znan. sur.
  • izv. prof. dr. sc. Irena Keser, dipl. ing. preh. teh.
  • dr. sc. Jelena Kovačić, mag. math., viši znan. sur.
  • dr. sc. Saša Kralik Oguić, spec. med. biokem.
  • Bernarda Krnić, dr. med., spec. školske medicine
  • prim. dr. sc. Jelena Macan, dr. med., spec. medicine rada i sporta, znan. savj. u tr. zv.
  • Marija Macan, mag. med. lab. dijag., asistent-doktorand
  • doc. dr. sc. Marijana Matek Sarić, dipl. ing. bioteh.
  • Dr. Breige McNulty, Lecturer/Assistant Professor, Ph.D., B.Sc. (Hons) Human Nutrition
  • Dr. Brendan Murray, B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D. Biochemistry, M.Sc. (Distinction) Applied Toxicology
  • doc. dr. sc. Vera Musil, dr. med., spec. školske medicine
  • Dr.  Anne Nugent, Senior Lecturer, BSc PhD (Nutrition and Immunology), RNutr (Public Health)
  • Tatjana Petričević-Vidović, dr. med., spec. školske medicine
  • dr. sc. Martina Piasek, dr. med., znan. savj. u tr. zv.
  • Marija Posavec, dr. med., spec. školske medicine
  • izv. prof. dr. sc. Snježana Sekušak-Galešev, prof. psiholog
  • dr. sc. Antonija Sulimanec Grgec, mag. nutr., znan. sur.
  • Patricia Tomac. mag. psih., asistent-doktorand
  • mr. sc. Rajka Turk, mag. pharm.

Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health staff who participated in project activities:

  • Silvija Bošković, bacc. med. tehn., viša tehn.
  • Adriana Gustovarac,  mag. med. lab. dijag.
  • Marija Kujundžić Brkulj, mag. ing. sec., struč. sur. u sustavu znanosti
  • Jagoda Mandić, nurse, teh. sur.
  • Krešimir Nekić, kem. tehn., teh. sur.
  • Franka Šakić, mag. med. tehn., struč. sur. u sustavu znanosti
  • Monika Vuletić, mag. med. lab. dijag., viša tehn.