Over the past four decades, the prevalence of autism, asthma, ADHD, obesity, diabetes, and birth defects have grown substantially among children around the world. Not coincidentally, more than 80,000 new chemicals have been developed and released into the global environment during this same period. Today the World Health Organization attributes 36% of all childhood deaths to environmental causes.
Children's environmental health is a new and expanding discipline that studies the profound impact of chemical and environmental hazards on child health. Amid mounting evidence that children are exquisitely sensitive to their environment-and that exposure during their developmental "windows of susceptibility" can trigger cellular changes that lead to disease and disability in infancy, childhood, and across the life span-there is a compelling need for continued scientific study of the relationship between children's health and environment.
The Textbook of Children's Environmental Health codifies the knowledge base and offers an authoritative and comprehensive guide to this important new field. Edited by two internationally recognized pioneers in the area, this volume presents up-to-date information on the chemical, biological, physical, and societal hazards that confront children in today's world: pesticides, indoor and outdoor air pollution, lead, arsenic, phthalates, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic fields, and the built environment. It presents carefully documented data on rising rates of disease in children, offers a critical summary of new research linking pediatric disease with environmental exposures, and explores the cellular, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diseases of environmental origin.
With this volume's emphasis upon integrating theory and practice, readers will find practical approaches to channeling scientific findings into evidence-based strategies for preventing and identifying the environmental hazards that cause disease in children. It is a landmark work that will serve as the field's benchmark for years to come.

For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. We’re better than ever at treating the disease, yet cancer still claims the lives of one in five men and one in six women in the US. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we? That was the question that motivated Kristina Marusic’s revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. They recognise that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease. Most never imagined this role for themselves. One scientist grew up without seeing examples of Indian-American women in the field, yet went on to make shocking discoveries about racial disparities in cancer risk. Another leader knew her calling was children’s health, but realised only later in her career that children can be harmed by invisible pollutants at their nursery. Others uncovered surprising links between cancer and the everyday items that fill our homes and offices. For these individuals, the fight has become personal. And it certainly is personal for Berry, a young woman whose battle with breast cancer is woven throughout these pages. Might Berry have dodged cancer had she not grown up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of refineries? There is no way to know for sure. But she is certain that, even with the best treatment available, her life was changed irrevocably by her diagnosis. Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases like Berry’s. The war on cancer is winnable - if we revolutionise the way we fight.

Over the past four decades, the prevalence of autism, asthma, ADHD, obesity, diabetes, and birth defects has increased substantially among children throughout the world. Not coincidentally, more than 80,000 new chemicals have been developed and released into the global environment during this same period. Today the World Health Organization attributes more than one third of all childhood deaths to environmental causes. Children's environmental health is a new and growing discipline that responds to the expanding threat of chemical and environmental hazards to child health. Amid mounting evidence that children are especially sensitive to their environment-and that exposure during their developmental "windows of susceptibility" can trigger cellular changes that lead to lifelong disease and disability-there is a compelling need for continued scientific study of the relationship between children's health and their environment. Children and Environmental Toxins: What Everyone Needs to Know offers an authoritative yet accessible question-and-answer guide to the "silent spring" of threats in our collective backyard. As the burdens of environmental toxins and chronic disease continue to defy borders, this book will be an invaluable addition to the conspicuously sparse literature in this area.

A must-have Organic Style title for parents and parents-to-be

All parents want what's best for their children, and protecting them from the toxic materials that surround us -- such as lead, asbestos, PCBs, and pesticides -- is, of course, incredibly pertinent to their well-being. Whether choosing where to buy a home, deciding which toys to buy, or just being informed about the safety of a child's school, Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World provides parents with necessary information and recommended solutions.

Tips for parents include:
-- Test peeling and chipping paint for lead content.
-- Remove wall-to-wall carpets and replace with scatter rugs you can wash.
-- Limit the possibility of indoor mold and pests by setting a "no food or drink" rule in rooms that are carpeted.
-- No soap at all is just fine for bathing.
-- Instead of commercial baby wipes, use a cotton cloth dipped in water and baking soda.

Written by pediatricians who have done extensive research on pesticides and lead poisoning, this user-friendly volume includes checklists to help readers identify toxins in and around the home and an extensive list of resources for locating more natural products. Each solution is conveniently rated for its importance and difficulty.

Over the past four decades, the prevalence of autism, asthma, ADHD, obesity, diabetes, and birth defects has increased substantially among children throughout the world. Not coincidentally, more than 80,000 new chemicals have been developed and released into the global environment during this same period. Today the World Health Organization attributes more than one third of all childhood deaths to environmental causes. Children's environmental health is a new and growing discipline that responds to the expanding threat of chemical and environmental hazards to child health. Amid mounting evidence that children are especially sensitive to their environment-and that exposure during their developmental "windows of susceptibility" can trigger cellular changes that lead to lifelong disease and disability-there is a compelling need for continued scientific study of the relationship between children's health and their environment. Children and Environmental Toxins: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) offers an authoritative yet accessible question-and-answer guide to the "silent spring" of threats in our collective backyard. As the burdens of environmental toxins and chronic disease continue to defy borders, this book will be an invaluable addition to the conspicuously sparse literature in this area.