Many diseases initiated by chemical hazards require decades to develop. Early childhood exposure to certain carcinogens or toxicants may be more likely to lead to disease than the same exposures experienced later in life. Though children's unique vulnerability to environmental risk is now an accepted scientific axiom, much remains to be done to safeguard the next generation. Research identifying new types of toxic effects that have potentially significant impacts on children, such as endocrine disruption or immunotoxicity, is critical. Further study is important for determining how certain doses and health endpoints may be of primary concern in adults while different doses and endpoints may be more relevant to children.
More scientific research is imperative.
In the meantime, sufficient evidence exists to warrant increased protection for children from environmental hazards. National Academy Press,1993. 2. The Need for a Special Approach , Environmental Health Criteria 59, World Health Organization, 1986. Wiles, R. and C. Campbell, Pesticides in Children's Food , Environmental Working Group, 1993. Wiles and Campbell, Pesticides in Children's Food .