Our Kids’ Health

How Do We Protect Our Children's Environmental Health?

Children are vulnerable members of our society, and are more susceptible to the effects of toxic environmental exposures.

The fetus and young children are physiologically different from adults. Their organ systems are developing at a rapid rate. Children breathe in more air and take in more food per pound of body weight than adults. Children have higher metabolic rates and absorption capacity in their guts. In addition, children have behaviors, such as pica (hand to mouth activity), that increase exposures to toxins. These factors lead to increased susceptibility to environmentally-related disorders.

In recent decades, rates of childhood cancers, asthma, and neurological disorders have increased substantially, and scientific evidence indicates that environmental exposures contribute to the incidence of these diseases.

The Ecology Center continues to be actively involved in projects and campaigns to raise awareness about children’s environmental health issues and advocate for more health protective state and national policies. In November 2005, the Ecology Center co-sponsored a conference called Out of Harm’s Way: Preventing Toxic Threats to Child Development in Michigan that brought together more than 150 health care professionals.

Out of Harm's Way: Preventing Toxic Threats to Child Development

In November 2005, the Ecology Center partnered with the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Michigan State Medical Society, American Association on Mental Retardation, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Center for Children’s Health and Environment to host a conference about children’s environmental health. The conference, “Out of Harm’s Way: Preventing Toxic Threats to Child Development in Michigan” brought together more than 150 health professionals to discuss the intersection between exposure to common environmental chemicals and childhood development, and clinical interventions to reduce neurotoxic threats throughout the lifecycle.

The core curriculum of the conference was based on a peer-reviewed scientific study published by the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility. You can view and download the report here.

You can view/download conference materials (including powerpoint presentations and handouts) at the Michigan Network for Children’s Environmental Health website.

Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health

At the Out of Harm's Way conference, the formation of the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health (MNCEH) was announced—and the Ecology Center will play an active role in planning and executing network projects. The Network allows organizations and individuals to come together and work on commonly identified policy priorities to protect children's health in Michigan.

If you are interested in more information about the MNCEH, please visit the MNCEH website: www.mnceh.org.

Web Links to Children's Environmental Health Resources