Emerging Issues

See the Topic Background for an introduction to the topics covered in this section. Key findings are presented below.

Mercury in Fish

• Since 1995, most states have issued one or more advisories to warn people about elevated concentrations of mercury in non-commercial fish. In some cases, advisories tell people to avoid eating fish that they catch in particular areas or to avoid particular species. In other cases, they tell people to limit the amount of fish that they consume. Some advisories are directed at particularly susceptible groups, usually women of child-bearing age and children. See the Mercury in Fish text for more detail.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

• In 1997-2000, 6.7 percent of children ages 5-17 were reported to have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). See the ADHD text for more detail.
  
  

Emerging Issues: Topic Background

The links between environmental contaminants and childhood diseases and disorders are receiving increasing attention and research. We can expect that our understanding of how children’s health may be influenced by environmental factors will continue to improve with more research and better data about both environmental contaminants and health outcomes.

This section presents information about important aspects of children’s environmental health for which data recently have become available. Additional research in these areas will be useful to better determine how particular exposures to environmental contaminants might contribute to these particular health areas. It is important to identify emerging issues and new data sources in order to continue to expand our understanding of children’s environmental health.

This section includes two emerging issues: mercury concentrations in fish, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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