Children and their Environment

Concern about the particular vulnerability of children to environmental contaminants has led to an increased emphasis on children’s health-related studies.

Children are behaviorally and physiologically different from adults. The way that they interact with their environment may increase exposure. Because their organ systems are growing and developing, they may be more susceptible to toxicological effects and respond differently to environmental challenges at various stages of development.

Exposure may result from contact with contaminated surfaces, breathing contaminated air, or from eating or drinking tainted food or water. The magnitude and extent of this exposure and the effects on health are under study.

Scientists in the Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) have produced a number of reports on Children’s Exposure. Below are links to some recent studies that are available for free downloading.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

A Probabilistic Exposure Assessment for Children Who Contact CCA-Treated Playsets

Compendium of NERL-sponsored children’s exposure data and tools for assessing aggregate exposure to residential-use pesticides in support of the August 2006 reassessment (PDF, 55 pp., 216 KB)

Children's Total Exposure to Persistent Pesticides and Other Persistent Organic Pollutants (CTEPP) Study

Demonstration of Low Cost, Low Burden, Exposure Monitoring Strategies for Use in Longitudinal Cohort Studies – Fortmann et al (PDF, 126 pp., 1.5 MB)

Identification of Time-Integrated Sampling and Measurement Techniques to Support Human Exposure Studies – Hern et al (PDF, 86 pp., 1.4 MB)

Comparison of Methodsfor the Determination of Alkyl Phosphates in Urine (PDF, 63 pp., 1.2 MB)

Children’s Pesticide Exposure Measurement Program – Fortmann et al (PDF, 6 pp. 135 KB)

Bisphenol-A and Phthalate Esters: Potential Sources of Resin Components in the Everyday Environments of Preschool Children – Morgan et al (PDF, 45 pp., 1 MB)

Related Links

The National Children's Study

Agricultural Health Study