The MIREC Study
The MIREC Study had the following objectives
- measure the extent to which pregnant women and their babies are exposed to common environmental chemicals;
- measure some of the beneficial elements in maternal milk;
- assess what health risks, if any, are associated with the chemical levels measured, with a focus on heavy metals such as lead and mercury;
- create a data and biological specimen bank for further research on fetal growth, pregnancy and health of mother and baby.
The MIREC Study was completed for a number of years, but analysis of the data continues. Current data analysis focuses on examining potential associations between levels of various chemicals in maternal or infant biospecimens and health conditions (e.g., high blood pressure during pregnancy, low birth weight).
MIREC is a one of a kind study and is getting international attention. Our first published paper, which describes the MIREC cohort, has been published in the July 2013 issue of the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. Since then, over 100 papers have been published, and more are in preparation or submitted to journals.