Children’s Environmental Health

The environment affects children differently than adults. Because their bodies are still growing, children are at greater risk if they are exposed to environmental contaminants.
We Track That
Children are not little adults—their bodies are not the same as adult bodies. Because they are small and still developing, they are more easily exposed to environmental contaminants and here’s why:
- Children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food per pound of body weight than adults.
- Children are more likely to put their hands in their mouth.
- A child’s body may not be able to break down and get rid of harmful contaminants that enter their body.
- Health problems from an environmental exposure can take years to develop. Because they are young, children have more time to develop health conditions and diseases than adults who are exposed later in their life.
Types of Data
The Tracking Network’s information on children’s environmental health can help you understand how you can protect children from environmental exposures so they can live a safer, healthier lives.
Data Highlight

View different children’s environmental health data sets side-by-side on our Data Explorer tool. Try it!
Resources
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programsexternal icon
- Children’s Environmental Health Networkexternal icon
- Environmental Protection Agencyexternal icon
- EPA-America’s Children and the Environmentexternal icon
- National Institute of Environmental Health Studiesexternal icon
- Children’s Environmental Health Infographic
Explore Children's Environmental Health Data
Page last reviewed: February 15, 2022
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention