Environmental Threats to Child Health

Poor environmental conditions and pollution are known to contribute significantly to child deaths, diseases, and disability, particularly in the developing world. Environmental risks have major effects on child health and development from pre-conception to childhood and adolescence, sometimes persisting into adulthood. In the last 50 years, we have witnessed the spread of tens of thousands of newly discovered chemicals into the environment, leading to the detection of residual human-made chemicals in all animal and human tissues tested. Among these, the most common ones include phthalates, plastic products such as bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, cadmium, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), solvents, pesticides, toxic substances in inhaled air (tobacco smoke, ozone, particulate matter), and chlorinated disinfection byproducts. Chronic exposure to low doses of these endocrine disrupting chemicals during sensitive periods may lead to developmental functional disorders that may not be observed with higher doses. In this text, the effects of these environmental threats on child health are reviewed.