Health Canada halts birth study
By Tanya Collier MacDonald
Cape Breton Post
Monday, Aug. 1, 2003
A study aiming to identify toxic hot
spots and possible links to adverse
birth outcomes in Cape Breton has
been halted by the federal government
due to a low participation rate.
Health Canada spokesperson
Tracey Taweel said scientists were
unable to recruit an adequate number
of pregnant women to participate
which forced Health Canada to
send a letter to lead scientist Henry
Muggah informing him to stop the
effort.
It's unclear how much data was
completed during the two-year effort
and no formal report has been made
to Health Canada to date, she said.
Muggah could not be reached for
comment.
It's been reported that the study -
which was expected to cost about
$450,00 - was to focus on four areas.
The first would be to determine if
the incidence of adverse early-pregnancy
outcomes (pre-20 weeks) is
higher in the Sydney area than in an
appropriate control, such as Pictou
County. Scientists planned to come
to this conclusion by using medical
records provided by local physicians
in a way keeping with patients' confidentiality.
Second, it would measure the concentrations
of contaminants in pregnant women, their
newborns' cord blood and the placenta, and to test
for evidence of endocrine disruption
and contaminant exposure.
Third, the study would assess peoples'
values, perceptions and behaviours
relating to fertility expectations,
conception, pregnancy-out-comes,
and their environment.
Fourth, the goal was to integrate
and analyze the results of the study,
explore implications, and evaluate
from both the social and natural sciences
perspectives the issue of
reproductive health in the Sydney
community.
A report completed in May, 1999
by Linda Dodd, Reproductive Care
Program of Nova Scotia, concluded
that the rate of infants born with
major birth defects was 27 per cent
higher in Sydney than the rest of
Nova Scotia. The percentage was
taken from the 3.42 per cent of
infants born each year in Sydney
with a major birth defect compared
to 2.69 per cent of infants in the rest
of the province.
Over the 10-year period of that
study, there were 3,782 infants born
in Sydney who did not have major
birth defects and 132 born with a
major anomaly - which represents
about 30 more than the number
based on provincial rates.
The reason for the study was to
increase the amount of data available
for human reproductive health
when linked to peoples' exposure to
multiple contaminants.
In the proposal it was reported
that human reproductive health is
a sensitive indicator of adverse
environmental conditions.
For example, contaminant exposure
has been associated with
delayed times of conception,
reduced sperm counts, increased
miscarriage and stillbirth rates,
increased incidence of congenital
anomalies and low birth weights. In
addition, there is significant evidence
of adverse neurologic cognitive
outcomes in children exposed
in utero.
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