 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Bruce Lanphear, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Mail Location 7035, Cincinnati, OH 45229, (513) 636-3778, BRUCE.LANPHEAR@CHMCC.ORG
Children's health is, to a large extent, a function of exposures that occur in the home environment. The overall contribution of residential exposures to children's health is poorly defined, but it is clear that death and disability from injuries, asthma and lead poisoning would decline dramatically if such hazards were eliminated. Residential hazards are also major contributors to the racial and social health disparities. Ultimately, modifications in residential dwellings (i.e., revised housing codes or residential standards) will be necessary to control lead poisoning, asthma, and injuries among children. Until then, it is necessary to quantify the morbidity and mortality linked with housing, examine risk factors for residentially-induced diseases, and test the safety and efficacy of environmental controls using randomized, controlled trials. This paper will review data linking the major diseases of childhood (asthma, injuries and lead poisoning) with housing, describe a rationale for using randomized controlled trials of environmental (passive) controls, and describe ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trials of environmental controls to reduce children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, injuries and lead toxicity in children.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Environmental Exposures, Lead
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.