The Pediatrician's Role in Protecting Children from Environmental Hazards
Leonardo Trasande1, Christopher D Kassotis2
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Environmental Pediatrics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY, USA; NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Children suffer disproportionately from disease and disability due to environmental hazards, for reasons rooted in their biology. The contribution is substantial and increasingly recognized, particularly due to ever-increasing awareness of endocrine disruption. Regulatory actions can be traced directly to reductions in toxic exposures, with tangible benefits to society. Deep flaws remain in the policy framework in industrialized countries, failing to offer sufficient protection, but are even more limited in industrializing nations where the majority of chemical production and use will occur by 2030. Evidence-based steps for reducing chemical exposures associated with adverse health outcomes exist and should be incorporated into anticipatory guidance.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:20Personal Protective Equipment
01:36Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...