Please note: We have finished enrolling women for the CHirP study. Please contact us if you would like to receive a summary of the study results in early 2009!

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This study is taking place in Vancouver, Canada.

You may be eligible to participate if:

• You are at least 19 years old
• You are in the first 15 weeks of your pregnancy
• You will have lived in North America for 3 consecutive years by your due date
• You are planning to deliver your baby at BC Women’s Hospital (Vancouver), St Paul's Hospital (Vancouver), Lions Gate Hospital (North Vancouver) or at home

You are not eligible to participate in the study if:

• You are a smoker
• You have a pre-existing thyroid condition or any other endocrine condition (e.g. diabetes)
• You are pregnant with twins, triplets or other multiples
• You became pregnant through in vitro fertilization, or with the help of fertility drugs or hormones   

If you enroll in the study, your participation would involve:

• Having two small blood samples taken at 15 and 18 weeks of pregnancy (one sample may be collected at the same time as the optional Triple Marker Screen test)
• Filling out an online questionnaire (about 30 minutes) to collect information about your home, your use of certain products, and your transportation habits
• Participating in a 1-hour interview at your home, to collect information about yourself, your diet, and your home & work environment
• Having samples of dust collected from your home vacuum cleaner. For some women only, dryer lint samples and indoor/outdoor air samples will also be collected from the home
• Having a small sample of umbilical cord blood taken after your baby has been delivered
• Providing a small sample of hair for future studies (optional)

If you enroll in the study, you will receive:

• A free copy of the chemical levels in your blood and home
• 2 hospital parking passes (or 4 bus tickets)
• A small baby gift