Fast Facts on Children’s Environmental Health

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Asthma is a common chronic disease among children in the United States.
In 2006, 9.9 million children under 18 years of age were reported to have ever been diagnosed with asthma; 6.8 million children had an asthmatic episode in the last 12 months.
The hospitalization rate for asthma remained at 27 per 10,000 children from 2002-2004.
Asthma is the third ranking cause of non-injury related hospitalization among children less than 15 years of age.
Although asthma deaths among children are rare, 195 children under 18 years of age died from asthma in 2003.

Disparities of Asthma

Asthma disproportionately affects children from lower-income families and children from various racial and ethnic groups.
African-American children have a 500% higher mortality rate from asthma as compared with Caucasian children.
In 2005, 13% of African-American children were reported to have asthma as compared with 9% of Hispanic children and 8% of non-Hispanic white children.
Larger disparities exist within the Hispanic population such that 20% of Puerto Rican children were reported to have asthma as compared with 7% of Mexican children.
While national level surveys suggest Asian and Pacific Islander children do not have high rates of asthma, small scale surveys however show a high prevalence of asthma among subgroups of Asian and Pacific Islander children.
- Filipino children have an asthma prevalence of 23.8%
- Pacific Islander children have an asthma prevalence of 21%

Economic Impact of Asthma

In 2002, children 5-17 years old missed 14.7 million school days due to asthma.
The direct and indirect costs of asthma to the U.S. economy were $19.7 billion in 2007.
- Approximately $14.7 billion dollars are directly associated with the medical care costs of asthma
- Approximately $5 billion are associated with lost productivity
Asthmatic patients and their families pay a higher portion of their medical care costs than patients with other diseases due to heavy reliance on prescription medication combined with lower insurance coverage for prescription drugs.

A blood lead level of 10 µg/dL or greater is considered elevated. However, there is no safe level of lead in blood of children.
Today, elevated blood lead levels in children are due mostly to ingestion of contaminated dust, paint and soil.
About 250,000American children ages 1-5 years old had an elevated blood lead level of 10ug/dl in 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 respectively. The number of children affected by lead poisoning has decreased significantly from 4.7 million in 1978.
The decline in blood lead levels is due to the phasing out of lead in gasoline between 1973 and 1995 and the reduction in the number of homes with lead-based paint from 64 million in 1990 to 38 million in 2000. About 24 million homes still have significant lead-based paint hazards.
Childhood lead poisoning reduces IQ, which can never be regained. Recent studies suggest that children with blood lead levels well below the federal standard (10 ug/dl), can suffer from diminished IQ and affects on behavior. Other studies suggest that children exposed to lead may be at risk of developing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Recently, it has been reported that children have been exposed to lead through toys and other products imported from China.
In 2007, The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 61 toys involving more than 25 million product units. The products were recalled because they contained dangerous levels of lead.

Disparities in Lead Exposure

Blood lead levels are higher for children ages 1-5 from lower-income families and for certain racial and ethnic groups.
6.4 % of children ages 1-5 in the United States have a blood lead level above 5 micrograms per deciliter.
Immigrant children may be at increased risk of lead poisoning.
Foreign born children were five times more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than US born children.

Economic Impact of Lead Exposure

The cost of reduced cognitive ability is measured by IQ scores and valued in terms of forgone earnings and is estimated to be about $9, 600 per IQ point lost.
The cost of not eliminating lead exposure to children between 2000-2010 is expected to be about $22 billion in forgone earnings.

In 2007, an estimated 10, 400 new cancer cases were expected to occur among children aged 0-14 years old. An estimated 1,545 deaths from cancer were expected to occur among children in 2007.
Leukemia is the most common cancer in children under 15, accounting for 30 percent of all childhood cancers, followed by brain and other nervous system cancers.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 14 years of age, with unintentional injuries being the leading cause.
The causes of childhood cancer are poorly understood, though different forms of cancer have different causes. Parental and childhood exposure to pesticides and radiation may cause certain cancers in children.

Disparities in Childhood Cancer

Hispanic children were reported to have a higher incidence of acute lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) than non-Hispanic white children.
Although national studies indicate that Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) children overall do not have higher rates of Cancer compared to non- Hispanic whites, a smaller scale study conducted in California showed APIA children are at increased risk of developing acute non lymphocytic Leukemia (ANLL) compared with non-Hispanic white infants.

Economic Impact of Childhood Cancer

In 2001-2004, about 7 children out of every 1,000 children were reported to be diagnosed with mental retardation.
Between 3-8 percent of the babies born each year will be affected by developmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or mental retardation. In 2003--2004, an estimated 300,000 U.S. children aged 4--17 years were reported to have Autism.

Disparities in Developmental Disabilities

Mental retardation is more common for children from lower income families and for certain racial and ethnic groups.

Economic Impact of Developmental Disabilities

During the 2001-2002 school year, an estimated 6.5 million children were enrolled in special education programs. This is almost 75% increase from 1976-1977.
The economic costs associated with autism are approximately $35 billion dollars per year.
Expenditures can range from 1.6 times (for students with specific learning disabilities) to 3.1 times (for students with multiple disabilities) higher than expenditures for a regular education student.