This conference on Pediatric Environmental Health is important because it gives us one of the best opportunities, so far, to help pediatricians and others who care for children learn the basics of pediatric environmental medicine, learn what to look for, learn how to recognize and refer difficult problems, and probably most important learn how to take a pediatric exposure history.
Pollutants are important determinants of human health.
Medical, scientific, and environmental researchers increasingly recognize the interaction between health and the environment. Lead, asbestos, mercury, arsenic, organic solvents, PCBs, and dioxins are among the best known environmental agents known to cause human disease. Extensive research by Public Health Service agencies, EPA, and academia has demonstrated many significant links between a variety of illnesses and exposure to hazardous substances. Environmental etiologies are implicated in disorders affecting the immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, renal, and reproductive systems. The Clinton Administration has recognized the importance of this interaction, especially as it affects children.