The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) provide educational and medical consultation primarily by telephone contact. There is limited direct clinical assessment performed. The susceptibility of children to certain environmental toxins is different from adults although the route of exposure is the same. As a result of children's curiosity and need to explore their world, the type of substances children are exposed to are often unique.
In order to achieve a wholistic view through which many patterns of exposure substances can be identified, a descriptive analysis incorporating trends and frequencies was performed based on quarterly data collected from the PEHSU sites. The two year dataset comprises activity between January 1999 and December 2000 (8 quarters). The analysis describes major exposure substances, exposure sites and route, as well as age groups of the children affected by such exposures at six different geographic locations. A satisfaction survey complements the PEHSU activity description by incorporating valuable feedback on what makes the site unique to its community. The information from this analysis will be useful in identifying major substances of concern for the planning of clinical training in the field of children's environmental health as well as to further conduct outreach and education interventions.
Learning Objectives: 1)Learn the most frequent exposure substances found in the Pediatric Environment Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU)sites 2)Identify the exposure trends based on the geographic location of the PEHSU sites
Keywords: Children's Health, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.