The largest study of its kind to shed light on how environment can impact pregnancy and breastfeeding

To what extent does pollution contaminate fetal development and affect a newborn baby via breast milk? This is what a team of Canadian researchers will attempt to find out by monitoring 2000 pregnant women for several months as part of the Étude mère-enfant sur les composés chimiques de l'environnement (EMCE). 

“It’s the largest study of its kind to date. It will shed light on how the environment can impact pregnancy and breastfeeding,” explains project director Dr. William Fraser, director of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a doctor at Sainte-Justine Hospital.

While several studies address the neurotoxicity of mercury and lead on the fetus and children, the effects of several other toxic products such as cadmium, arsenic and manganese are generally unknown despite their increasing concentration in the environment. 

Animal studies have demonstrated that very low levels of exposure to certain contaminants can sometimes have permanent effects on blood pressure, growth and cognitive development. In addition, it seems that the ingestion of certain foods known for their antioxidant qualities (vitamins C and E, calcium) reduces the impact of these contaminants. These different variables will be examined by the EMCE study.

We have already observed the neurological effects of massive exposure to organochlorines and heavy metals in certain populations such as the Inuit of Northern Quebec. The study was not conducted on the Canadian population as a whole. “Exposure to contaminants is less than in the North, but we could be surprised by the effects,” explains Dr. Fraser.

The EMCE study was made possible by a $3.9 million investment by Health Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) as part of a Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). The CHMS was launched in 2007 to collect data from 5,000 Canadians aged 6 to 79, as well as data on the health and lifestyle of these people and on the quantity of chemical substances in the environment. However, the CHMS did not include pregnant women. 

“Thanks to the EMCE study, Health Canada will finally have data on the two most vulnerable populations in Canada, pregnant women and babies,” says Dr. Fraser. The participants are recruited during their first trimester and monitored until eight weeks after delivery. They are asked to fill out questionnaires and consent to provide samples of umbilical cord blood, urine and hair. 

“We have efficient methods for measuring the effects of contaminants on the neurodevelopment of the child. It will be an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge,” explains Dr. Fraser, who in the past was known for his multicentric studies on pregnancy and delivery anomalies.

The increase in autism cases in industrialized countries remains without scientific explanation. A common hypothesis is repeated exposure to small doses of heavy metals and other toxic products. “Our study could be a first step to answer such questions,” he explains.

Researcher: William Fraser
Telephone: 514-345-7708
E-mail: william.fraser@umontreal.ca
Funding: Health Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of the Environment