More information about Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can be found at:

• Health Canada’s Fact Sheet on PBDEs
• Environment Canada’s Canadian Environmental Protection Act Registry: Frequently Asked Questions about PBDEs

More information about Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) can be found at:

• US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Basic Information on PFOA (PFOA is one of the many different types of PFCs)
• US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Related Perfluorinated Compounds
• Environmental Health Perspectives - Perfluoroalkyl Acids: What Is the Evidence Telling Us?

Other Pregnancy Research Studies

• MIREC - Maternal Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals: MIREC is a national five-year research study that is recruiting about 2,000 women from Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. Women will be recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy and followed through pregnancy and up to eight weeks after birth. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and six to 12 weeks pregnant to be eligible for the study.
  The main goals of this study are:
  1. to measure the extent to which pregnant women and their babies are exposed to environmental chemicals, as well as tobacco smoke;
  2. To assess what pregnancy health risks, if any, are associated with exposure to heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and manganese);
  3. To measure the levels of environmental chemicals and some of the beneficial components (nutritional and immune constituents) of breast milk.

Please contact: Sarah Quelch, squelch@cw.bc.ca, 604-875-2253

• CHILD - Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study
  This study will look at environmental, genetic,stress and immunological factors that might play a role in the development of early childhood disease. Participants need to be between 18 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, and planning to give birth at BC Women's Hospital (Vancouver)
  Please contact: Roxanne Rousseau
  RRousseau@cw.bc.ca, 604.875.2345 (local 5370), www.canadianchildstudy.ca

Other Research Studies

• Menstruation and Ovulation Study: a one month menstrual cycle study conducted by Dr. Jerilynn Prior, Professor of Endocrinology at UBC

Information about environmental home assessments:

• JMH Home Environmental Solutions can expertly assess your home environment for possible exposure to toxins and allergens. A proactive approach to the health of your home!

Photo Credits

The photos on this site are taken from the Flickr Creative Commons photo pool. Photographers include: saramarie, alterednate, Steve took it, Angel's Lens. Some rights reserved.