A project is underway to better understand the impact environmental chemicals may be having on northerners.
A prenatal monitoring program has been underway within northern Saskatchewan since August 1st.
Dr. James Irvine, the north’s medical officer of health, explains women who are seeking medical attention during their first prenatal checkup often have a routine blood draw.
Some of that blood is left over, and if the woman is willing, that blood can be tested for a range of environmental chemicals.
Irvine says this could include screening for pesticides, heavy metals, oil and gas, and a variety of PCBs.
The program is in partnership with northern Alberta and is aimed at assessing at how northerners stack up with other regions in Canada.
Irvine says they expect to have between 700 to 1100 female participants over the course of about a year.
He adds the testing is intended for regional use, and not an individual case-by-case basis.