Environmental Chemical Exposure Research and Characteristics of Study Subjects Recruited from Midwifery vs. Hospital Based Clinics Rapport d'exposition chimique environnementale et caractéristiques des sujets participants recrutés par une pratique sage-femme versus les cliniques établies à l'hôpital

Abstract

Exposure to environmental contaminants during pregnancy is thought to play a role in the reported increase in developmental abnormalities of the male reproductive tract and rise in the rates in testicular cancer among young men as well as increasing prevalence of allergy, asthma, obesity, and diabetes in the general population. Traditional epidemiological studies have recruited pregnant women from hospital clinics, delivery wards or physician offices. Recruitment of expectant mothers from midwifery clinics is being employed in ongoing studies and comparison of study subject characteristics suggests that there are no important differences in the socio- economic indicators. Hence we suggest that midwives have an important role to play in future epidemiological studies designed to determine the health consequences of exposure to environmental contaminants.