Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Adverse birth outcomes (ABO), such as prematurity and low-birth weight, have immediate and long-term health consequences, including serious emotional and economic impacts on society. Current research identified relationships between ABO maternal factors, social factors and certain pollutants. Investigating links between pollutants and ABO has been limited by the challenge of evaluating all those factors in combination. This study will use new methods based on data mining to investigate relationships of industrial emissions and different social factors with ABO, considering wind patterns, urban pollution and maternal factors. We will use data from 1) the National Pollution Release Inventory (>300 chemicals annual emissions); 2) Statistics Canada, CIHR MiCare Program, and the Canadian Perinatal Programs Coalition (birth outcomes, maternal and socioeconomic variables); 3) CAREX (urban air pollution models), and 4) Environment Canada, Ministry of Agriculture (wind data). Maps will be created to present results. Investigators from different disciplines and institutions will participate (e.g. computing sciences, neonatology, epidemiology, and knowledge translation) as well as interested stakeholders from Health Canada, the Canadian Perinatal Programs Coalition, and the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health & Environment. We anticipate that this study, by identifying complex interactions between all these factors in specific locations, will identify areas of Canada where increased rates of ABO, specific industrial emissions and socioeconomic factors co-exist. The study will also identify areas that may require further investigation, how existing data can be used for the study of pollution/disease and the usefulness of methods developed in this project for addressing complex health problems. Highly qualified personnel will be trained as well. The knowledge gained will contribute to understand the complex problem of ABO and promote Canadian mothers and infants' health.