Emerging Issues

This section presents information about important aspects of children’s environmental health for which data recently have become available.

• Mercury in Fish
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

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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 the Mercury in Fish text for more detail.

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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 the ADHD text for more detail.

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