Overview of Children and Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

Exposure of toxic chemicals to children is a poorly understood public health issue. Evidence indicates that children may be more vulnerable than adults to such exposures, and in some cases specific physiological, behavioral, toxicological, and environmental related factors may contribute to this vulnerability. The range of chemical exposures that have been reported that cause health problems in children is not small and continues to grow. Toxicological risk management offers an approach that may assist in identifying and assessing hazards, risks and exposures, characterizing risks and identifying the means by which they may be eliminated or minimized. However, better methods for the identification of those hazards, risks, and exposures that are specific to children is needed. Further, while some of the options for the control of chemical exposures to children are well known, others need to be prioritized, properly resourced, and still others need to be identified.