Emerging issues in Child Health related to Occupational and Environmental Exposure

June 2003    Vol 1 

Children’s Environmental Health
Preliminary estimates suggest that almost one third of the global burden of disease can be attributed to environmental risk factors . Over 40% of this burden falls on children under 5 years of age who constitute no more than 12% of the world's population. In some of the poorest countries, more than 20% of the children die before they reach the age of 5.Traditional environmental Hazards: are related to poor living and working conditions 

 Lack of access to safe drinking water 
 Poor sanitation and hygiene
Indoor air pollution due to biomass fuels 
Injuries in the workplace 
 Vector borne diseases

The diseases due to these hazards manifest quickly such as diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections, malaria

Modern environmental hazards: related to rapid development with inadequate health and environment safeguards 
 Air pollution from vehicles and industry 
 Chemical exposures through water and food due to use of pesticides, food preservatives, contamination of drinking water sources with industrial effluents and living near hazardous 
 waste sites 
 Radiation hazards 
 Deforestation and major ecological changes

The diseases due to modern hazards mostly manifest after a long time e.g. cancers, reproductive and developmental disorders.

 

 

Globally, about 43%
of the environmental disease burden 
falls on children 
under 5 years of 
age, who constitute 12%of the worlds population
Why are we concerned with children? 
 Children are not little adults 
 They are in a dynamic state of growth 
 Their body systems are developing very rapidly Their intake of air , water and food on weight basis is more than adults 
 Their behavior exposes them to many risks 
 They have more years to life for chronic diseases to express

What are the present concerns for children?

Neurobehavioral disorders such as attention deficit, 

Congenital malformations 

Hormonal problems manifesting after puberty 

Childhood cancers like leukemias and brain tumors

What should be done? 


Strict controls for testing 

Safety factor for children 

Organic food Awareness and education

Children’s Susceptibility to Chemicals

Children have relatively higher metabolic rate and therefore consume more fluids, oxygen and food resulting in greater intake of associated toxicants

 Their body surface area is greater in relation to their weight which results in greater skin surface exposure to the toxicants. 

 The growing tissues of children are more susceptible to the toxic injury than the adult. 

How children are exposed to chemicals 
In utero many chemicals cross placenta and reach the unborn child 

Through mother’s milk

 At home
 
In the general environment 

while playing in the school

 

 

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