Axis director: Sophie Petropoulos and Maryse Bouchard

This axis, which complements the other axes, is essential for understanding the influence of various risk and protective factors on reproductive and child health. Because they are modifiable, environmental exposures are a prime target for improving the health of the population and of future generations. This implies implementing policies and practices that minimize environmental exposures and their intergenerational transmission, and provide access to healthy living conditions for children and families in Quebec.

OBJECTIVES:
1) Federate research strengths on the impact of environmental exposures, from a sustainable health perspective, and along the continuum from conception to the first years of life, to serve as a resource of expertise on environmental exposures in health for organizations involved at different levels (e.g., public health, ministry of health, universities, professional associations of clinicians);
2) Provide the scientific facilities needed to accelerate research into environmental exposures on reproduction, pregnancy and child health.
3) Establish a solid Quebec network to propose national and international studies validating the effectiveness of preventive or therapeutic measures targeted at selected environmental exposures.