Allergens and Respiratory Irritants at Home

Children are more susceptible to air pollutants than adults. Children live closer to the ground, breathe far more air pound per pound of body weight, have lungs that are still developing, and have body organs that are not able to fend off pollutants. A child’s...

Toxic Chemicals AND OTHeR HAZARDS in the Home

Each year, poison-control centers across the country receive thousands of calls from frantic parents whose children have accidentally ingested toxic chemicals, prescription drugs, and even toxic houseplants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day 300 children across the United States are...

Lead IN THE HOME

Lead is a toxic metal. It can permanently damage a child’s brain, heart, and kidneys. At high levels, lead poisoning can cause seizures, coma, and even death. But even small amounts of lead can harm children. The brain is especially sensitive. Studies have shown that...

Children’s Unique Vulnerability to Toxic Chemicals in the Environment

Are children more vulnerable than adults to toxic chemicals in the environment? Children are far more sensitive to toxic chemicals than adults. This sensitivity reflects the combination of children’s disproportionately greater exposures plus their exquisite biological sensitivity.

The Chemical Environment

What are the origins of the chemical manufacturing industry? The chemical manufacturing industry had its origins in Germany and Switzerland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the first decades of the 20th century, the industry spread to England, and then in the...

The Changing Patterns of Disease in Children

How have patterns of disease in children changed over the past century? In 1900, a baby born in the United States could be expected to live to about 45 to 50 years of age. One in three children died before his or her first birthday....

The Links Between Toxic Chemicals in the Environment and Disease in Children

In recent decades, enormous growth has occurred in knowledge about the connections between toxic chemicals in the environment and disease in children, and this powerful body of medical and scientific evidence continues to grow. New discoveries of links between chemical exposures and childhood diseases are...

Schools

School is a time for new experiences for both parent and child. New learning situations challenge and help the child grow to meet ever larger challenges in the world. But the school environment may contain exposures to environmental hazards that can detract from the child"s...

Daycare

Finding the right caregiver for a child outside of home can be a challenge—financially, logistically, emotionally. An added concern, and surely one on most parents’ minds when touring a prospective childcare facility, is whether the environment and facilities are safe, healthy, and clean. So no...

Endocrine Disruptors in the Home

Endocrine disruptors are man-made chemicals that can hack the body’s chemical-based signaling system—the endocrine system. The endocrine system is the network of glands that regulate growth and development in children, reproduction in young adults, and aging in older adults. The endocrine system includes the pituitary,...