Organochlorine pesticides and female puberty in South Kazakhstan

•Intoxication of females by organochlorine pesticides leads to delayed puberty.•The increased concentrations of pesticides in the blood of females leads to reduced level of gonadotropic hormones, estradiol, and IGF1.•All females, living in areas where pesticides were used should be included into the reproductive system disorder risk group.•It is necessary to continue the study of described group to collect data on long-term impacts of pesticides intoxicaton.

The purpose of the study was to assess the puberty of females living in cotton-growing regions of South Kazakhstan, where organochlorine pesticides are widely used. The physical growth and sexual development were assessed; organochlorine pesticides, gonadotropic and steroid hormones, as well as insulin-like growth factor 1 in the peripheral blood were determined. 524 females (adolescents aged 10-17) were examined. They were divided into 2 groups, depending on their place of residence. The clinical research included the assessment of physical and sexual development. All examined females lived in rural areas, i.e. they were comparable in terms of social, welfare, and climatographic factors. A high concentration of organochlorine pesticides (lindane-18.51 ± 0.16 mg/l, dieldrin-169.16 ± 3.13 mg/l, DDT-177.78 ± 2.71 mg/l, endrin-37.57 ± 0.9 mg/l) in the blood of females living in regions exposed to pesticides compared to their peers (4.05 ± 0.41 mg/l, 30.8 ± 3.7 mg/l, 109.7 ± 2.58 mg/l, 4.85 ± 0.69 mg/l respectively) was found (p < 0.001).The physical and sexual development of such females was delayed. The research established a correlation between the concentration of pesticides and the endocrine status, as well as with the insulin-like growth factor 1. This shows the adverse effect of organochlorine pesticides on the development of the female reproductive system during puberty.