Alberta is testing the blood of more than 30,000 people, looking for toxins from industrial pollution and other sources, CBC News has learned.

The move is in part a reaction to growing public concern that the rapid pace of industrial development is harming people's health, but the study will also look for chemicals found in household products.

Researchers are using leftover blood collected during other tests and will examine samples from pregnant women and up to 1,500 children. They'll look for industrial contaminants and toxins found in everything from hairspray to stain guard.

"It's important that we get out there and find out what is in our environment and if it has an impact on the health of our citizens," said Shannon Haggarty, a spokesperson for the Alberta Department of Health and Wellness.

The plan is to pool blood samples into cohorts, such as mothers from one region, so individuals won't know their results. The results of the study will be released in the fall.

Jennifer Klimek, an environmental lawyer in Edmonton, said she constantly hears from people who are fearful about environmental toxins. She calls Alberta's testing a good first step.

"In Alberta ... we haven't studied the cumulative impacts of industry with their past history. It is a pleasant surprise that they are doing this."

Klimek wants the government to go beyond testing just children and pregnant women, saying men and senior citizens should also be examined.

'Those things build up in our body'

In a playground east of Edmonton, Cassandra Koebel, the mother of two boys, said she wonders if toxins from nearby chemical plants and oil refineries are harmful.

Her children are among those who laugh and play, oblivious to the fact that at any moment sirens could go off warning that a deadly cloud of gas is heading toward the park.

"Those things build up in our body, they affect us in various ways. We don't know what is going to happen to us 30 years from now or how those toxins will affect us."

In June, a group called Environmental Defense released the results of blood and urine samples from six adults and seven children across the country. They showed toxic chemicals such as stain repellents, flame retardants, lead and PCBs are showing up in the bodies of Canadians as young as 10.

Aaron Freeman, a spokesman for Environmental Defense, applauded Alberta for launching its own study.

"It's really going to contribute to the knowledge that we have about these pollutants," he said. "They are potentially very dangerous to Canadians, and they are in our environment."