| See the Topic Background
for an introduction to important childhood diseases and disorders
that may be influenced by environmental contaminants. Key
findings are presented below.
Respiratory Diseases
- Between 1980 and 1995, the percentage of children with asthma
doubled, rising from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 7.5 percent in 1995.
A decrease in the percentage of children with asthma occurred
between 1995 and 1996, but interpreting single-year changes is
difficult. See Measure D1.
- In 2001, 8.7 percent (6.3 million) of all children had asthma.
See Measure D1.
- The percentage of children with asthma differs by race/ethnicity
and family income. In 1997-2000, more than 8 percent of Black
non-Hispanic children living in families with incomes below the
poverty level had an asthma attack in the previous 12 months.
Approximately 6 percent of White non-Hispanic children and 5 percent
of Hispanic children living in families with incomes below the
poverty level had an asthma attack in the previous 12 months.
See Measure D2.
- More than 6 percent of children living in families with incomes
below the poverty level had an asthma attack in the previous 12
months. About 5 percent of children living in families with incomes
at the poverty level and higher had an asthma attack in the previous
12 months. See Measure D2.
- Emergency room visits for asthma and other respiratory causes
were 369 per 10,000 children in 1992 and 379 per 10,000 children
in 1999. See Measure D3.
- Hospital admissions for asthma and other respiratory causes
were 55 per 10,000 children in 1980 and 66 per 10,000 children
in 1999. See Measure D4.
Childhood Cancer
- The frequency of new childhood cancer cases has been fairly
stable since 1990. The age-adjusted annual incidence of cancer
in children increased from 128 to 161 cases per million children
between 1975 and 1998. Cancer mortality decreased from 51 to 28
deaths per million children during the 1975-1998 period. See Measure
D5.
- Leukemia was the most common cancer diagnosis for children from
1973-1998, representing about 20 percent of the total childhood
cancer cases. Incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 24
cases per million in 1974-1978 and approximately 28 cases per
million in 1994-1998. Incidence of acute myeloid leukemia was
approximately 5 cases per million in 1974-98 and about the same
in 1994-98. See Measure D6a.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- In 1997-2000, about 6 children out of every 1,000 (0.6 percent)
were reported to have been diagnosed with mental retardation.
See Measure D7.
Childhood Illnessess: Topic Background
Data on trends in childhood diseases and disorders provide important
information on successes and shortcomings in efforts to protect
children’s health. Many important diseases and other health
disorders affect children. The causes of many of these conditions
are not well established. In some cases environmental contaminants
are known to play a role. In other cases clues suggest that environmental
factors are important, but definitive proof is lacking.
This section of the report focuses on important childhood diseases
and disorders for which evidence or clues indicate or suggest some
influence by environmental contaminants, and for which nationally
representative data are available. These diseases and disorders
are asthma, acute bronchitis and acute upper respiratory infections,
cancer, and—new for this edition—neurodevelopmental
disorders. Other diseases and disorders that may be influenced partially
by environmental contaminants include other respiratory diseases,
waterborne diseases, methemoglobinemia, and birth defects.
It is very difficult to develop conclusive evidence that environmental
contaminants cause or contribute to the incidence of childhood health
effects, particularly those effects occurring in a relatively small
proportion of children or effects with multiple causes. In cases
where exposure to an environmental contaminant results in a relatively
modest increase in the incidence of a disease or disorder, many
children would need to be included in a study in order to detect
a true relationship. In addition, there may be factors that are
related to both the exposure and the health effect (like socioeconomic
status) that can make it difficult to detect a relationship between
exposure to environmental contaminants and disease. There may, however,
be suggestive (rather than conclusive) evidence from studies in
humans and/or laboratory animals to suggest that exposures to environmental
contaminants contribute to the incidence of a childhood health effect.
Tracking childhood diseases and disorders is an important element
of research on potential links between health effects and exposure
to environmental contaminants. Tracking establishes a basis for
comparison so that increases or decreases in the incidence of a
disease or disorder can be detected, often yielding important clues
to its causes. Tracking helps researchers determine whether past
and current actions have been effective in reducing the incidence
of a disease or disorder. It also helps to identify opportunities
for further action.
It can be difficult to assess the contribution of environmental
exposures to childhood illnesses. Even though environmental exposures
can contribute to some childhood illnesses, other factors may be
more important, such as family history, nutrition, and socioeconomic
factors. In addition, there can be interactions between environmental
and genetic factors. This report does not address illnesses that
may result from childhood exposures to environmental contaminants
but do not manifest themselves until adulthood.
Previous (Measure
B5) | top of page | Next
(Measure D1)
|
|
