Children generally eat more food, drink more water, and breathe more air relative to their size than adults do, and consequently may be exposed to relatively higher amounts of environmental chemicals. Children's normal activities, such as putting their hands in their mouths or playing on the ground, can result in exposures to chemicals that adults do not face. In addition, some environmental contaminants may affect children disproportionately because their bodies are not fully developed and their growing organs can be more easily harmed.
America's Children and the Environment (ACE) (PDF) is the Federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national report presenting data on children's environmental health. ACE brings together information from a variety of sources to provide national indicators in the following areas:
- Biomonitoring
- Environments and Contaminants
- Health