June 2005

Introduction

This report provides an overview of children’s health 

in North America and key factors that affect children’s 

health, including exposure to toxic chemicals. It identifies 

what toxic chemicals might be particularly important 

in relation to children’s health. It tracks releases of those 

toxic chemicals that are reported in the US and Canadian 

Pollutant Release and Transfer Registries (PRTRs). The 

report focuses on certain lists of chemicals, specific 

individual chemicals, with some forward-looking 

recommendations for action. This is not a report on risks, 

but rather is focused on sources of chemical industrial 

release as one important part of the puzzle. Chemicals from 

industry are only one type of pollutant; other sources are 

beyond the scope of this report. 

Background

The mandate to prepare this report came from the CEC Council 

Resolution (02-06), in its adoption of the CEC’s Cooperative 

Agenda for Children’s Health and the Environment in North 

America in June 2002. Item 3.2 of the Cooperative Agenda calls 

upon the Secretariat to prepare a report on toxic chemicals 

and children’s health and the environment. The Secretariat 

commissioned a study, undertaken by consultants and guided 

by the Council appointed Expert Advisory Board on Children’s 

Health and the Environment (EAB). The first draft was prepared 

and distributed to the parties in early 2004. It was put out 

for public comment in the spring of 2004. Comments were 

received from stakeholders and the parties. In addition, the 

parties identified a group of experts to review the report and 

provide comments. A meeting of these experts was convened 

in November 2004. Subsequently, the report has been redrafted 

taking into account the public comments and the advice of 

experts. Contacts for the key people in the parties, the EAB and 

the Experts are attached for information. 

Current Status

The revised draft report was sent to the experts and parties in 

mid-June (in all three languages) for a six week review period. 

Any additional comments will be reviewed and the report 

modified accordingly. It is anticipated that a final report will be 

available for publication by late fall 2005. 

Overview of the Report

The report analyzes, from a children’s health perspective, publicly 

available Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) data. 

It focuses on children up to the age of 18 years. Exposure to 

chemicals prior to birth can also be important to a child’s future 

development, and so are discussed in this report. 

The report is arranged in the following way:

• Chapter 1 describes the demographics and major causes of 

death, illness and disability for children in North America

• Chapter 2 describes the sources, pathways and health effects of 

chemicals 

• Chapter 3 analyzes industrial pollutant release and 

transfer data for carcinogens, developmental toxicants and 

neurotoxicants, and other chemicals of concern to children’s 

health

• Chapter 4 describes examples of current programs to prevent 

and reduce children’s exposure to chemicals and provides an 

overview of recommendations for actions to reduce releases of 

and prevent exposure to toxic chemicals

Special Report on Toxic Chemicals and Children’s 

Health and the Environment in North America

To find out more, please contact: 

Keith Chanon, Program Manager

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, bureau 200

Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9

Tel: (514) 350 4323 Fax: (514) 350 4314

kchanon@cec.org

An extended version of this project description 

is available on the CEC website at 

<www.cec.org/children>.

For More Information
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Key Contact People in the Parties

CANADA 

Annie Berube Amber McCool 

Policy Analyst, CHE Policy Development and 

Health Canada Integration, Strategic Policy 

Charles Tupper Bldg, 4th Floor, Room C487 and Partnerships 

2720 Riverside Drive 10 Wellington St., 22nd Floor 

Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9 Hull, Que. K1A 0H3 

P: 613-941-3610 P: 819-997-5087 

F: 613-952-8857 F: 819-953-4679 

Annie_A_Berube@hc-sc.gc.ca amber.mccool@ec.gc.ca

MÉXICO 

José Manuel Medina Aguilar, 

SEMARNAT 

P: (52 555) 628-3908 

F: (52 555) 628-0694 

manolo.medina@semarnat.gob.mx

 

UNITED STATES 

Ann Carroll, 

Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), Program Lead 

Office of Brownfields 

US EPA 

US EPA Headquarters 2660R 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

P: (202) 566-2748 

F: (202) 566-2757 

carroll.ann@epa.gov 

 

CEC Staff

Keith Chanon 

Program Manager, PRTR 

393 St-Jacques Street W, suite 200 

Montreal, QC H2Y 1N9 

Canada 

P: 514-350-4323 

F: 514-350-4314 

kchanon@cec.org 
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List of Experts on the Kids and Toxics Special Feature Report

Canada

Warren G. Foster 

Director, Reproductive Biology Division & Associate Professor 

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology 

McMaster University 

1200 Main Street West 

Hamilton, ON 

Canada L8N 3Z5 

Tel: (905) 521-2100, ext. 76245 

Fax: (905) 577-0471 

Email: fosterw@mcmaster.ca 

Geoffrey Clifford Granville 

Manager, Toxicology & Material Safety 

Shell Canada Limited 

P.O. Box 100 Station M 

Calgary, AB 

Canada T2P 2H5 

Tel: (403) 691-2220 

Fax: (403) 261-0035 

Email: geoffrey.granville@shell.com 

Donald T Wigle, MD, PhD, MPH

Affiliate Scientist 

R. Samuel McLaughlin Centre for Population 

Health Risk Assessment 

Institute of Population Health 

University of Ottawa 

One Stewart Street 

Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 

Tel: (613) 225-2912 

Fax: (613) 225-5229 

Email: don.wigle@sympatico.ca 

United States

Melanie Marty 

Chief, Air Toxicology and Epidemiology Section 

Cal EPA - Office of Environmental Health 

Hazard Assessment 

1515 Clay St. 16th Floor 

Oakland, CA 

USA 94612 

Tel: (510) 622-3154 

Fax: (510) 622-3210 

Email: mmarty@oehha.ca.gov 

Daniel Goldstein 

Director, Medical Toxicology 

Monsanto Company 

800 N. Lindbergh Blvd 

St. Louis, MO 

USA 63167 

Tel: (314) 694-6469 

Fax: (314) 694-4028 

Email: daniel.a.goldstein@monsanto.com 
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Jennifer Beth Sass 

Senior Scientist 

Natural Resources Defense Council 

1200 New York Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20005 

T: (202) 289-6868 

F: (202) 289-1060 

E: jsass@nrdc.org 

México 

Alvaro Román Osornio Vargas 

Jefe de Departamento 

Programa Universitario de Medio Ambiente, UNAM 

Edificio de Programas Universitarios, Ciudad Universitaria 

México, DF 04510 

México 

Tel: 011 52 555 622 5212 

Fax: 011 52 555 622 5207 

Email: arov@servidor.unam.mx 

Enrique Cifuentes García 

Director del Centro Colaborador en Salud Ambiental 

Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública 

Av. Universidad No. 655, Col. Sta. Ma Ahuatitlan 

Cuernavaca, Morelos 62508 

México 

Tel: 011 52 777 329 3060 

Fax: 011 52 777 101 2937 

Email: ecifuen@insp.mx 
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Expert Advisory Board on Children’s Health and the Environment (EAB)

CANADA 

Dr. Irena Buka 

Child Health Clinic 

Misericordia Hospital 

16940 - 87 Avenue. 

Edmonton (Alberta) T5R 4H5 

P: 780-930-5731 (5942) 

F: 780-930-5794 

E.mail: Ibuka@cha.ab.ca

Dr. Claire Infante-Rivard 

Joint Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Occupational Health 

Faculty of Medicine 

McGill University 

1130 Pine Avenue West, 

Montréal (Québec) H3A 1A3 

P: 514-398-4231 

F: 514-398-7435 

E.mail: claire.infante-rivard@mcgill.ca

Jane MacDonald 

Primary Health Care Consultant 

Public Policy Department 

Canadian Nurses Association 

50 The Driveway 

Ottawa (Ontario) K2P 1E2 

P: 613-237-2133 

F: 613-237-3520 

jmacdonald@cna-aiic.ca

MÉXICO 

Dra. Irma Aurora Rosas Pérez 

Coordinadora del Programa Universitario de Medio Ambiente (PUMA) 

Edificio de los Programas Universitarios 

Costado Norte del Conjunto “D” y “E” de la Facultad de Química – UNAM 

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 

Circuito de la Investigación Científica de 

Ciudad Universitaria, (Coyoacán) 

México DF 04510, México 

P: 525 55 622 5212 al 15 

F: 525 55 622 5207 

E.mail: puma@servidor.unam.mx

iarp@troposfera.atmosfcu.unam.mx

Dr. Alvaro Roman Osornio Vargas 

Jefe del Departamento de Salud y Ambiente del PUMA – UNAM (Investigador) 

Cto. de la Investigación Cientifica, C.U. 

México DF 04510, México 

P: 525 55 622 5212 (cell):5414 0057) 

F: 525 55 622 5207 

E.mail: arov@servidor.unam.mx

aosornio@yahoo.com

Dr. Mariano Enrique Cebrian García 

Head of the Section – Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional 

Ave. IPN # 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacateco 

México DF 07360, México 

P: 525 55 061 3309 o 3310 (his secretary’s) 

F: 525 55 747 7111 

E.mail: mcebrian@mail.cinvestav.mx 

UNITED STATES 

Ms. Beatriz Barraza-Roppe

Director of Health Promotion 

Colaborativo SABER 

7581 Hazard Center Drive 

San Diego, CA 92108 

P: 619-990-1032 (as of 03-11-03) 

F: 619-234-3977 (as of 03-11-03) 

bbarraza@san.rr.com 

 
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Dr. Bruce Lanphear 

Associate Director for Research 

Division of General and Community Pediatrics 

Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

3333 Burnett Avenue 

Cincinnati, Ohio 45229 

P: 513-636-3778 

F: 513-636-4402 

E.mail: bruce.lanphear@chmcc.org 

Dr. Alan Woolf 

Program in Pediatric Environmental Health 

Children’s Hospital 

1295 Boylston Street, suite 100 

Boston, MA 

USA 02115 

T: (617) 355-5187 

F: (617) 730-0049 

alan.woolf@childrens.harvard.edu