Child Health Considerations

ATSDR recognizes that the unique vulnerabilities of infants and children demand special emphasis in communities faced with contamination of their water, soil, air, or food.

Children are at greater risk than adults from certain kinds of exposures to toxic chemical substances released to the environment. They are more likely to be exposed because children spend a significant amount of their time playing outdoors. They are generally of shorter stature than adults, which means they breathe dust, soil and heavy vapors close to the ground. Children are also smaller, resulting in higher doses of chemical exposure per body weight. The developing body systems of children can sustain permanent damage if exposures to certain toxic substances occur during critical growth stages. Most importantly, children depend completely on adults for risk identification and management decisions, housing and access to medical care.

Children are potentially more likely to expose themselves to asbestos contaminated soils through activities such as exploration and playing in areas near where soil may have been excavated or stockpiled. Asbestos fibers in soil can cling or adsorb to their outerwear, and potentially expose individuals not directly associated with the site (family members, friends).

DHHS assumes that children are among those individuals who were potentially exposed to contaminated soils in the Sargeant Avenue and Broad Street areas and, for the reasons mentioned above, represent the age group that would be most at risk from exposure to contaminants in soils. As stated above, however, adverse health effects are not expected to result from exposure to these contaminated soils.