America's Children and the Environment: Measures of contaminants, Body Burdens, and Illnesses: Second Edition

Integrated Assessment of Environment and Health: America’s Children and the Environment

“…For diseases and disorders, we included examples important to the health of children for which there was also published research that showed an established or suggested link to one or more environmental contaminants, based on previous analysis, consultation with experts, survey of the scientific literature, and use of standard references and existing reviews ( Woodruff et al 2004 ). We reviewed emerging research on the links between air pollutants and respiratory outcomes in children and adults, evidence for environmental factors that contribute to cancer in children, and studies that examined links between environmental exposures and neurodevelopmental disorders ( Woodruff et al 2003 ).…”

“… Designations E, B, and D, are from the original report ( Woodruff et al 2003 ). a Ozone, about 80% of children; PM 10 (particulate matter < 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter), about 70% of children; sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), about 50% of children; CO, about 45% of children; nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), about 50% of children; lead, about 40% of children.…”

“…The goals were to a ) identify environmental contaminants significant for children and diseases or disorders of children likely to be related to environmental contaminants or conditions, b ) develop quantifiable measures of changes in these contaminants or diseases in the United States for the period 1990 to 2000 using existing data, c ) assess differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), d ) identify areas in need of attention or further research, and e ) identify data gaps. Initial results were released in 2000 ( Woodruff et al 2000 ), and an expanded assessment, titled America’s Children and the Environment: Measures of Contaminants, Body Burdens, and Illnesses , was released in 2003 ( Woodruff et al 2003 ). In this article, we report on the framework and methods used to develop this first integrated assessment of environment and health for children in the United States.…”

Communicating Methylmercury Risks and Fish Consumption Benefits to Vulnerable Childbearing Populations

“…In the past few years, intense scientific inquiry has focused on the role of environmental toxins on the developing nervous system of infants, children, and fetuses in utero (Landrigan, Kimmel, Correa, & Eskenazi, 2004; Landrigan, Schechter, Lipton, Fahs, & Schwartz, 2002). A child's susceptibility to toxins is influenced by rapid growth, potential for high exposures relative to height and weight, and immature chemical detoxification systems (Woodruff, Axelrad, Kyle, Nweke, & Miller, 2003). Together, this dynamic creates critical windows of vulnerability that have lifelong consequences (Goldman & Shannon, 2001).…”

Teaching Home Environmental Health to Resident Physicians

“…Compared with adults, children consume more food and water, breathe more air per body size, spend more time on the ground, place their hands in their mouth more often, and spend more time indoors, increasing exposure to household risks. 1,2 The chance of harm is amplified due to ongoing growth and development of essentially all body structures and systems during childhood, as well as the prenatal period. 2 Millions of children in the U.S. live in substandard housing conditions that contribute to many of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in childhood, including lead poisoning, asthma and other respiratory conditions, accidental trauma, burns, drowning, and sudden infant death syndrome.…”