Article content

A Montreal study of exposure to high levels of benzene during pregnancy raises concerns about the risks for childhood leukemia.

A team of Université de Montréal researchers looking at a small sample of 29 women living near major natural-gas well sites found high levels of toxins in their urine.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Study: Benzene byproducts found in pregnant women near fracking sites Back to video

Researchers found they had 3.5 times more benzene byproducts in their urine than the average person in Canada. But in nearly half the participants, 14 of them Indigenous women, the levels were six times higher.

Benzene is identified as a cancer-causing volatile solvent, and its health impacts have been well-documented. Exposure to benzene may increase the risk of developing leukemia and other blood disorders.

Contaminants, including volatile organic compounds, are released during hydraulic fracturing or fracking, and pregnancy is a vulnerable window of exposure for the mother and fetus, especially in the first months of pregnancy, said Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, a post-doctoral researcher at the Université de Montréal Public Health Research Institute and lead author. Results of the pilot study, led by toxicology risk-assessment expert Marc-André Verner of U de M, were published this week in Environment International.