Jump to main content.

Welcome to TEACH

The TEACH Web site contains summaries of scientific literature and U.S. federal regulations relevant to children’s1 environmental health. TEACH currently focuses on information that pertains to 18 chemicals of concern.

The goal of the TEACH project is to complement existing children’s health resources. TEACH does not provide an evaluation or critique the validity of the relevant scientific studies; nor does TEACH derive toxicity values. Instead, the goal of TEACH is to summarize, compile, and organize information obtained from numerous resources into one online resource. TEACH is designed to support numerous efforts throughout the country that target the protection of children’s health.

The TEACH project team received the 2007 Joseph Seifter Award for Human Health Risk Assessment for the development of a national children’s health risk informational tool that creates a bridge between scientist and lay advocates of children’s health.

The TEACH list of chemicals2 includes:
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid   Mercury (Elemental)
Arsenic   Mercury (Inorganic)
Atrazine   Mercury (Methylmercury and Ethylmercury)
Benzene   Nitrates and Nitrites
Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)   Permethrin and Resmethrin (Pyrethroids)
DEET   Phthalates
Dichlorvos   Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Formaldehyde   Trichloroethylene
Manganese   Vinyl Chloride

The TEACH Web site contains information in two formats:

  • The TEACH Database is a searchable database containing individual summaries of published, peer-reviewed scientific research articles pertaining to the TEACH chemicals of concern.
  • The TEACH Chemical Summaries provide an overview and summary of available information for each of the chemicals listed in TEACH.

Click here to search the TEACH Database.

The TEACH Database currently contains over 2,800 summaries of articles published from January 1972 through mid-2006. We have nearly completed the process of updating the database through 2007. Most chemicals are updated through 2007. The TEACH Database is updated annually.

The TEACH project was created and developed by the U.S. EPA Region 5 TEACH Workgroup and is funded through the U.S. EPA Office of Children’s Health Protection. Technical support was provided by Environmental Health Consulting, Inc.

EPA has a Risk Assessment Portal (www.epa.gov/risk) with information for the public about environmental risk assessments. Detailed information for risk assessors is also available at the site.

1 Childhood represents a lifestage rather than a subpopulation -- the distinction being that a subpopulation refers to a portion of the population, whereas a lifestage is inclusive of the entire population.

2 Exposure to lead can pose significant health hazards to children, and extensive information is provided elsewhere by the U.S. EPA at the National Lead Information Center.

 

Top of page

 impressionistic image of a child playing on rocks next to a lake
Recent Additions
last updated May 8, 2009

Inorganic Mercury Exposure Via Breast Milk

A study in rats reported that maternal exposure to inorganic mercury during lactation affected brain development of their suckling pups (Franco et al., 2007). Exposed pups also had reduced motor activities as compared to controls.


Maternal Thimerosal and Child Autism

There was no association between mother's exposure to thimerosal (which contains mercury) during pregnancy and the incidence of autism in their children (Miles and Takahashi, 2007). This study evaluated 230 children with autism and whether their mothers received immunoglobulin treatment during pregnancy.


Large Study of Vaccines and Neurological Tests in Children

Thompson et al. (2007) evaluated over 1,000 children (7 years old) and performed neuropsychological tests of 42 different parameters. There was no significant association between mercury exposure from thimerosal-containing vaccines and nearly all parameters tested. There was an association between certain decreased language skills and thimerosal exposure in the first month of life.

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.