Wildfire-specific fine particulate matter and preterm birth: a US ECHO Cohort analysis
01/02/2026
Air QualityWildfires
PEHSU is a national network of experts in child health issues caused by environmental exposures. We work with health professionals, parents, schools, community groups, federal, state, and local government agencies, and others to address reproductive and children’s environmental health issues.
Healthy Environments for All Children Since 1998
*Examples below are not exhaustive, but provide a snapshot of PEHSU achievements
Why was PEHSU created?
PEHSU was created in 1998 to fill a gap in environmental health education for parents, caregivers, and health professionals, and use this education as a tool to prevent the high cost of pediatric environmental health problems at the time. During it’s founding over 25 years ago, “four environmentally associated diseases—asthma, cancer, lead poisoning, and neurodevelopmental disorders—were estimated to cost $54.9 billion.”*
“The need for more professional environmental health education, parents’ desire for more environmental health information, and the high cost of pediatric environmental health problems—indicated a need for specialized pediatric environmental health programs..”*
Two children’s environmental heath crises in the 1990s also led to PEHSU’s development:
- Children and adults in New Jersey became sick after being exposed to mercury vapor in a converted industrial building but many health professionals did not recognize the risk to children and families.
- Children, adults, and pets in nine states became sick and needed emergency medical care after a pesticide (methyl parathion) was sprayed illegally around their home. Several health professionals did not realize this pesticide was making their patients sick.
Region 1 (New England) and Region 10 (Northwest) were the first two PEHSUs formed. There are now 10 regional PEHSUs, although there were previously PEHSUs in Canada and Mexico as well.
What has PEHSU achieved?
The timeline above includes just some of the many milestones PEHSU has achieved. From providing expert resources during natural disasters and water or food contamination crises, to creating comprehensive toolkits for health professionals and building community partnerships around specific environmental topics, PEHSU offers a wide range of help to protect children and pregnant women from environmental hazards. Visit Our Impact page to learn more about our achievements as a national network.
View Publications Covering PEHSU’s History
Reference:
*Jerome A. Paulson, Catherine J. Karr, James M. Seltzer, Debra C. Cherry, Perry Elizabeth Sheffield, Enrique Cifuentes, Irena Buka, and Robert W. Amler: Development of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit Network in North America American Journal of Public Health 99, S511_S516, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2008.154641