Les IRSC ont accordé une subvention de 516 376$ sur 4 ans pour le projet intitulé "Gestational exposure to chemicals related to hydraulic fracturing in Northeastern British Columbia, and their endocrine disrupting potential".

Le professeur Marc-André Verner sera le chercheur principal d'une importante équipe qui comptera dans ses rangs plusieurs chercheurs du DSEST et de l'ESPUM: Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Michèle Bouchard, Maryse Bouchard, Sami Haddad, Katherine Frohlich.

Les autres co-chercheurs sont : Pierre Ayotte (Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec), Jonathan Chevrier (McGill), Ray Copes (University of Toronto), Géraldine Delbès (INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier), Thomas Sanderson (INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier), Cathy Vaillancourt (INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier), Alice Muirhead (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer) 

Ce projet fait suite à une étude pilote menée par Marc_André Verner, Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Pierre Ayotte, et Katherine Frohlich avec le support d'une subvention pour nouvelles initiatives de l’IRSPUM.

Résumé du projet :

In 2016, we conducted a pilot study that evaluated exposure to environmental contaminants (toxicants) in 29 pregnant women living in Northeastern British Columbia. This region is characterized by intense natural gas exploitation by hydraulic fracturing known to release contaminants in the environment. We found that exposure to a toxic solvent (benzene) in these women was four times higher than in the Canadian population; in Indigenous women, exposure to this solvent was six times higher. Exposure to toxic heavy metals was also high. This is concerning because exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy could alter fetal development. To better evaluate the exposure to these contaminants and their potential risks during fetal development, we propose to: 1) Characterize exposure to these chemicals in 100 pregnant women residing in Northeastern British Columbia using urine, hair, indoor air, outdoor air, and drinking water samples. 2) Assess the effect of these chemicals on hormone production during fetal development using in vitro tests. Disruption of hormone production during pregnancy is associated with pregnancy and birth outcomes like pre-eclampsia, small birth weights and preterm birth. 3) Evaluate associations between natural gas development intensity and exposure levels in pregnant women. 4) Explore social inequities related to exposure to environmental chemicals in Northeastern British Columbia.