Some of these synthetic chemicals are also found to be passed on from pregnant mother to fetus and through breast milk to nursing infant. Recent research studies suggest that exposures to certain chemicals at certain doses during particular developmental windows in fetuses and young children may contribute to a range of health concerns. Some of these health concerns may not show up clearly until later in life, such as some of the health problems mentioned above including reproductive disorders, learning disabilities, and various cancers. Another recent phenomenon in modern life that seems to effect health is the depletion of the ozone layer. Studies show this is related to increases in malignant melanoma and weakened immune systems in humans.
Children eat, breathe and drink far more than adults based on proportional body weight.
For example, they drink seven times more water and take in twice as much air than adults on average. They also ingest half of their lifetime pesticide intake mostly through food by the age of five. In addition, children behave differently from adults. Thirty-eight years ago, the renowned scientist Rachel Carson warned about the problematic health effects of toxic chemical exposures in her groundbreaking book Silent Spring . Her views, however, were mostly met with criticism and controversy.