Lead Debate: Protecting America’s Children

Protecting children, supporting professionals.

Protecting Children from Exposure to Lead Old Problem, New Data, and New Policy Needs

T he detrimental effects of lead exposure in children have been known for over 100 years. Although a few initial measures implemented about 30 years ago were effective in somewhat reducing levels of lead exposure in children, relatively little has been done recently from a policy perspective to protect children from lead. We now know from recent research that much more work is needed. Recent ev...

Protecting children--a core skill.

Protecting Children from Environmental Toxins

0203 Epidemics of overt toxicity following widespread environmental contamination from commercial toxins heralded the discovery of children’s enhanced vulnerability to lead, methyl mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tobacco [1,2,3,4,5] (Box 1). Over the past three decades, researchers have found that remarkably low-level exposures to these toxins are linked with less overt symptoms ...

Protecting children from passive smoking.

Childhood is a time in which foundations are laid on which the adult is formed. Nevertheless, it is surprising for most to discover just how early in life arteries can show signs of structural or functional damage that may indicate vulnerability to atherosclerosis. Napoli et al1 were the first to demonstrate that even fetal aortas could develop fatty streaks in utero in the presence of maternal...