Common Questions

Children are much more vulnerable to environmental health hazards than adults. This is because they have different behaviors than adults that make them more likely to come into contact with hazards. Their still growing bodies also respond differently to some hazards. Here are some examples of how their behaviors and unique physiology make children more vulnerable:  

• From birth, children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food relative to their body weight than adults. For example, when a child and an adult each eat the same sized piece of fruit, the child is eating a greater amount of that fruit because their body is smaller in comparison. If that fruit is contaminated with a pesticide or other contaminant, the child is also eating more of that contaminant.  
• Children also absorb more contaminants— after a meal, an adult will absorb 20% of ingested lead, whereas a toddler absorbs as much as 50%. Similarly with children’s skin, their smaller bodies mean that they absorb more of a contaminant even when exposed to the same amount as an adult. Many contaminants can cross the placenta or into breastmilk, resulting in unique pathways of exposure during vulnerable periods of early development.  
• Children depend on adults to ensure a safe environment. Children’s immune systems are still developing, which also makes them more vulnerable to environmental hazards. Early exposure to carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer such as tobacco smoke) may increase the risk of cancer in later life. 

Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to environmental exposures because of their changing bodies. During a typical pregnancy, women breathe in 20% more oxygen at a 40% increased rate, and their heart is working 50% harder. Those changes and more mean pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to air pollution and heat stress. Pregnancy is also a time that women are more at risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), including preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, which can impact both the pregnant woman and baby. Any exposure that impacts maternal health can have an impact on their baby’s health, especially if the exposure leads to preterm birth.  

People are exposed to different environmental hazards or contaminants daily through air, water, food or soil, but those with particularly high exposures are at increased risk of negative health effects, and children and pregnant women are especially at risk for the reasons above. Learn more about specific hazards to be aware of on our Resources page or Issues in Focus page.

Some examples include asthma and/or respiratory disorders, childhood cancer, congenital anomalies (birth defects), developmental disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, liver disorders, intellectual delays, neurological disorders and skin disorders. 

Children’s environmental health is not yet standard in most medical and nursing school curricula, and medical and pediatric textbooks may only skim health topics and their relationship to environmental exposures. Your personal health professional may be very interested to know that he or she can consult with environmental pediatric professionals at these units, and your interest in this topic may encourage more health care providers to become proficient in the topic. We provide expert consultation and training to health professionals to help them better understand the unique health concerns related to children and environmental exposures. 

The PEHSU work together to address any reproductive and children’s environmental health issue that affects families and communities including safer disinfectant use; exposures to wildfire smoke, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lead, pesticides, and mold; and many more. To better address these issues, PEHSU work with health professionals, parents, schools, community groups, federal, state, and local government agencies, and others.

PEHSU provides education for health professionals, outreach to and education for communities, consultations on environmental exposures, referrals for evaluation and necessary services, and development of partnerships that promote and support the PEHSU mission. These services are essential to reduce risk of environmental exposures to children and families and mitigate potential health effects before they happen.

Visit our Regions page to find your PEHSU by phone or by email. Note: PEHSUs do not provide clinical services. To contact the PEHSU National Program Office, email pehsunpo@phi.org.