Participants Required: A study to measure levels of environmental chemicals in New Zealand children (Massey University Biological Monitoring Study) Environmental pollution such as heavy metals and synthetic chemicals can be found in soil, air, and water around the world. Every human in the world is exposed to pollution to varying degrees and carries traces in their body. The past decades have seen many successful efforts to reduce the levels of pollution in our environment, such as better control of industrial waste discharges. This study will show whether these efforts have been successful and indicate where more work is needed. Your child is invited to take part in a study measuring levels of environmental chemicals in their bodies. These chemicals include metals (such as lead, mercury, arsenic), cotinine (indicating exposure to tobacco smoke), additives to consumer products (such as triclosan, fluoride, sunscreen active ingredients, parabens), and components of plastics (such as bisphenol A and phthalates). If your child participates in the study, a university scientist will measure these chemicals in their blood and urine, and provide you with individual testing results free of charge. If you are interested in hearing more about the study, please contact: Jonathan Coakley, Study Co-ordinator, Freephone 0800 328 284, DDI 04 979 3384 email j.d.coakley@massey.ac.nz”

Note: Jonathan Coakley is junior research officer at Massey’s Centre for Public Health Research which is based in Wellington.

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