Found out on twitter about this radio segment about birth defects and
pesticides - an interview with a neonatologist in Indianapolis, in the
US about pesticides and birth defects.  Although he doesn't mention
tongue-tie, he does mention other mid-line defects and other
conditions that may affect breastfeeding, and I was reminded of the
discussion here recently about toxic environments possibly increasing
the modern rate of tongue-tie.  Dr. Winchester has found a seasonal
effect in birth defects for babies exposed to pesticides - the highest
rate of defects and pregnancy losses comes for babies conceived in
April-July when pesticides are applied and become prevalent in
groundwater.

Living on Earth: Pesticides and Birth Defects (aired week of April 17, 2009)
(audio and full transcript)
http://tr.im/k2bn

I'm curious if people here are aware of a seasonal variation in
occurrence tongue-tie, cleft palate, down syndrome.... especially in
the US.  I understand the chemical Atrazine that is a likely suspect
in these cases is banned in Europe, and hopefully some other places as
well!  Of course, you'd want to look for the seasonal variation among
conception dates, as the delivery dates will be more spread out,
especially if the toxic exposure increases premature births.  If I'm
doing my math right, full-term babies conceived April-July would be
delivered January-April.  December conceptions were found to be
safest.  For the southern hemisphere and extreme high- and
low-latitude regions, the months could differ, depending on the timing
of pesticide usage.

-Rosemary McNaughton, LLLL
Northampton, MA, USA

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