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Highlights
This page presents highlights of the current measures in each of the key topic areas of America’s Children and the Environment.
Environmental Contaminants
Outdoor Air Pollutants
- In 1993, approximately 53 percent of children lived in counties in which the eight-hour ozone standard was exceeded on at least one day per year. In 2006, approximately 53 percent of children lived in such counties (Measure E1)
- In 1999, approximately 24 percent of children lived in counties that exceeded the annual PM-2.5 standard. In 2006, approximately 13 percent of children lived in such counties. (Measure E1)
- The percentage of days that were designated as having “unhealthy” air quality (including days that were unhealthy for everyone as well as those that were unhealthy for sensitive groups) decreased between 1993 and 2006, dropping from 3.6 percent in 1993 to 2.6 percent in 2006. The percentage of days with “moderate” air quality was 12% in 1993 and 20% in 2006. As the percentage of unhealthy, good or unmonitored air days decreases, the percentage of moderate days would be expected to increase. Much of this increase is due to the adoption of a PM2.5 standard and implementation of widespread monitoring of PM2.5 in the late 1990s. (Measure E2)
- In 1993, on average, children experienced a concentration of 28 µg/m3 of PM-10, which represents 56 percent of the annual standard. By 2006, the concentration had fallen to 51 percent of the standard. Note, however, that the PM-10 annual standard was revoked in 2006. From 1993-2006, between 52 and 67 percent of children lived in counties with monitoring stations for PM-10. (Measure E3a)
- In 2006, about 14,000 children experienced an average PM-10 concentration above the annual standard, compared with about 34,000 in 1993 and about 474,000 in 1994. (Measure E3b)
- In 1999, almost all (99.8 percent) children lived in counties in which the combined estimated concentrations of hazardous air pollutant exceeded the 1-in-100,000 cancer risk benchmark. Approximately 89 percent of children lived in counties in which at least one hazardous air pollutant exceeded the benchmark for health effects other than cancer. (Measure E4)
Indoor Air Pollutants
- The percentage of children ages 6 and under regularly exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in the home decreased from 27 percent in 1994 to 11 percent in 2003. (Measure E5)
Drinking Water Contaminants
- The percentage of children served by community water systems that reported exceeding a Maximum Contaminant Level or violated a treatment standard decreased from 20 percent in 1993 to 10 percent in 2006. (Measure E6)
- In 1993, approximately 18 percent of children lived in an area served by a community water system that had at least one monitoring and reporting violation. This figure was about 16 percent in 2006. The largest number of monitoring and reporting violations occurred for the lead and copper standards. Approximately 8 percent of children in 1993 were served by public water systems with monitoring and reporting violations for lead and copper, and about 7 percent of children in 2006. (Measure E7)
Pesticide Residues
- Between 1994 and 2006, the percentage of food samples with detectable organophosphate pesticide residues ranged between 8 percent and 29 percent. The highest detection rates were observed during 1996 and 1997, while the lowest detection rate was observed in 2006.
(Measure
E8)
Land Contaminants
- As of September 30, 2006, about 0.9 percent of children lived within one mile of a Superfund site listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) that had not yet been cleaned up or controlled, down from about 1.2 percent in 1990. As of September 30, 2006, about 1.8 percent of children lived within one mile of any Superfund site listed on the Superfund NPL. (Measure E9)
Body Burdens
Concentrations of Lead in Blood
- The median (50th percentile) concentration of lead in the blood of children 5 years old and under dropped from 15 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) in 1976-1980 to 1.6 µg/dL in 2003-2004, a decline of 89 percent. (Measure B1)
- The concentration of lead in blood at the 90th percentile in children 5 years old and under dropped from 25 µg/dL in 1976-1980 to 3.9 µg/dL in 2003-2004. (Measure B1)
- In 2001-2004 the median blood lead level in children ages 1-5 was 1.6 µg/dL. The median blood lead level for children living in families with incomes below the poverty level was 2.3 µg/dL and for children living in families above the poverty level it was 1.4 µg/dL. For all income levels, Black non-Hispanic children had a median blood lead level of 2.5 µg/dL. White non-Hispanic children had a median blood lead level of 1.5µg/dL. (Measure B2)
Concentrations of Mercury in Blood
- EPA has determined that children born to women with blood concentrations of mercury above 5.8 parts per billion are at some increased risk of adverse health effects. About 3 percent of women of child-bearing age had at least 5.8 parts per billion of mercury in their blood in 2001-2004. (Measure B4)
Concentrations of Cotinine in Blood
- In 2005-2006, median (50th percentile) levels of cotinine measured in children were 81 percent lower than they were in 1988-1991. Cotinine values at the 90th percentile, representing the most highly exposed 10 percent of children, showed a smaller relative decline (46 percent) from 1988-1991 to 2005-2006. (Measure B5)
Childhood Illnesses
Respiratory Diseases
- Between 1980 and 1995, the percentage of children with asthma doubled, from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 7.5 percent in 1995. A decrease in the percentage of children with asthma occurred between 1995 and 1996, but it is difficult to interpret single-year changes. (Measure D1)
- In 2006, 9.3 percent (6.8 million) of all children had asthma. (Measure D1)
- The percentage of children with asthma differs by race/ethnicity and family income. In 2003-2006, 9 percent of Black or African-American non-Hispanic children living in families with incomes below the poverty level had an asthma attack in the past 12 months. Approximately 6 percent of White non-Hispanic children and 5 percent of Hispanic children living in families with incomes below the poverty level had an asthma attack in the last 12 months. (Measure D2a)
- About 7 percent of children living in families with incomes below the poverty level had an asthma attack in the previous 12 months. About 5 percent of children living in families with incomes at the poverty level and higher had an asthma attack in the previous 12 months. (Measure D2a)
- Emergency room visits for asthma and other respiratory causes were 369 per 10,000 children in 1992 and 415 per 10,000 children in 2005. (Measure D3)
- Hospital admissions for asthma and other respiratory causes were 55 per 10,000 children in 1980 and 49 per 10,000 children in 2005. (Measure D4)
Childhood Cancer
- The age-adjusted annual incidence of cancer in children increased from 129 to 172 cases per million children between 1975 and 2005. Cancer mortality decreased from 51 to 27 deaths per million children during the 1975-2005 period. (Measure D5)
- Leukemia was the most common cancer diagnosis for children from 1973-2005, representing about 20 percent of total cancer cases. Incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 25 cases per million in 1975-1980 and approximately 31 cases per million in 2001-2005. Rates of acute myeloid leukemia were approximately 6 cases per million in 1975-1980 and about 7 cases per million in 2001-2005. (Measure D6a)
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- In 2003-2006, about 7 children out of every 1,000 were reported to have been diagnosed with mental retardation. (Measure D7)
Emerging Issues
Mercury in Fish
- Most states issue advisories to warn people about elevated concentrations of mercury in non-commercial fish. In 2004, 44 states had advisories in effect for mercury in non-commercial fish. In some cases, advisories tell people to avoid eating fish from a particular area or a particular species. In other cases, they tell people to limit the amount of fish that they consume in general from a specified body of water. Some advisories are directed at protecting particularly susceptible groups, usually women of child-bearing age and children.
- (See text description)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- In 2003-2006, 7.8 percent of children ages 5-17 were reported to have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (See text description)
Special Features
Lead in California Schools
- Thirty-two percent of all public elementary schools surveyed in California had both lead-based paint and some deterioration of paint. (Measure S1)
- Eighty-nine percent of all California schools studied had detectable levels of lead in soils. Only 7 percent of the schools had lead levels in soil at or exceeding the EPA hazard standard. (Measure S2)
- Approximately 15 percent of schools had lead levels in drinking water that exceeded EPA’s drinking water standard on the first draw. Drinking water from approximately 6.5 percent of schools remained above the standard on the second draw. Second draw samples are more representative of the lead concentrations that children are exposed to during most of the day. (Measure S3)
Pesticides in Minnesota Schools
- Approximately 47 percent of responding school custodians in Minnesota reported that they sprayed pesticides “as needed” in the classroom. Forty percent of the responding custodians reported that their schools provided no notification of pesticide use (such as notices in fumigated areas or pre- and postapplication letters to students and teachers). (Measure S4)
Birth Defects in California
- Heart defects are the most common birth defect in California, with 1.8 cases per 1,000 live births in 1997-99. The rates of birth defects in California generally remained constant during the 1990s. (Measure S5)