Today the major causes of illness and death among children and teenagers are no longer infectious diseases, but chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer, birth defects, and developmental disabilities. By 2020 asthma sufferers are projected to double to 29 million with one family in five forced to live with the disease. Currently seven percent of children suffer from asthma, which is the number one cause of school absences. African-American children are four times more likely to die from asthma than white children are.
Cancer is now the second leading cause of childhood death.
One in four children live within one mile of a hazardous waste site. One in five children do not live to see their fifth birthday - mostly because of avoidable environmental health threats. This results in 11 million childhood deaths a year. Two-thirds of all preventable sickness due to environmental conditions occurs among children. Nearly 100 countries are still using leaded gasoline.