MecoExpo Study Protocol

The MecoExpo project seeks to evaluate the in utero exposure of newborns in the Picardie region to commonly used pesticides. These pesticides were selected in a pilot study (the Mecopic study) on the basis of their toxicity (effects on foetal development, endocrine perturbation, neurological toxicity and carcinogenicity) and a certain number of indicators of pesticide use and the presence of pesticide in the environment in Picardie.

These substances (or their metabolites) will be measured in the each newborn's meconium (the first faeces after birth) and each newborn's mother's hair in the Picardie region during the study period. The mother's exposure will also be assessed using a retrospective questionnaire (filled out within a few days of the delivery).

Thus, the MecoExpo project will enable the investigators to:

1. evaluate the relationships between foetal exposure (via the meconium), maternal exposure (via the hair and the questionnaire) and clinical parameters measured at birth (term, length, weight, etc.).
2. map pesticide exposure across the Picardie region.
3. create a meconium bank in Picardie (the first ever meconium bank in France).