Does the environment influence children’s health?
This past January, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the 3rd edition of America’s Children and the Environment (ACE). This report presents data collected by many federal agencies on children’s environmental health. ACE provides national indicators in the following areas:
• Environments and Contaminants: environmental conditions, including air pollutants, chemicals in food, and drinking water contaminants
• Biomonitoring: select chemicals and metals, such as lead and mercury, measured in children and women ages 16 to 49 years
• Health: health outcomes, such as asthma and obesity, that may be influenced by environmental exposures
The purpose of ACE is to educate the public about environmental factors that may affect their health and to provide information that may be used to help reduce harmful environmental exposures in children. You can find ACE’s website here and a summary of their report here.