Forum IV, Chemical Safety in a Vulnerable World
Thematic Briefing Note
Protecting Children from Harmful Chemical Exposures
Introduction
Growing evidence about the special vulnerability of children exposed to serious health threats from
their environments has brought the issue of children and chemical safety to the forefront on the
international chemicals management agenda. In response to requests from the Intergovernmental
Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) Central and Eastern European region , the International
Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network and the International Network on Children’s
Health, Environment and Safety, the topic of children and chemical safety will be a focus at Forum
IV. A report, “Protecting Children From Harmful Chemical Exposures”, prepared by an expert
Working Group, chaired by Hungary, will be the basis for discussion and action at Forum IV.
Summary of Forum IV Report Findings:
Environmental Health Risks to Children
Over five million children between the ages of 0-14 die every year from illnesses that relate to
environmental conditions, mainly in the developing world (World Health Day, 2003).
Children and the developing fetus can be especially vulnerable to some environmental exposures,
such as exposures to certain chemicals. Unintentional poisonings account for 50,000 deaths of
children aged 0-14 years, according to estimates by the World Health Organization (World Health
Report, 2002).
Why are children particularly vulnerable to chemicals?
Children and the fetus can be particularly vulnerable to certain chemicals in the environment.
Several factors may contribute to a child’s unique vulnerability to chemicals, such as their physical
size, immature organs, metabolic rate, behaviour, natural curiosity and lack of knowledge. For
example, children often spend more time outdoors than adults, playing closer to the ground where
contaminants often accumulate. They also typically engage in hand-to-mouth behaviour as part of
their normal development. They are unaware of potential risks and therefore are less able to
protect themselves from potential exposures.
The timing of exposure can also be significant. Exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, both in
utero and early in life, can produce life-long disabilities in neurological function and learning
abilities.
Social and economic costs
The social and economic cost of children’s poor environmental health includes increased medical
expenses, sick days away from school, productivity lost by parents missing work to care for their
children, and the personal agony that childhood sickness, disability and death cost families and
communities. Unhealthy children may adversely affect the long-term productivity of a country.
Select Facts and figures
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About 40% of the environmental disease burden falls on children under 5 years of age, though
they constitute only 10% of the world’s population (World Health Organization, The World
Health Report 2002).
Persistent environmental contaminants, such as dioxins and PCBs, may accumulate in breast
milk and cause exposures in breast-fed infants. Heavy metals such as methylmercury and
lead are also secreted in breast milk (Molen van der GW, A generic toxicokinetic mode for
persistent lipophilic compounds in humans, Fundam Appl Toxicol, 1996).
Toxic poisoning in children accounts for about 2% of all deaths by injury in children in
developed countries and 5% in developing countries (Bates and others, Paediatric Toxicology:
Handbook of Poisoning in Children, 1997)
Action requested at Forum IV
 Preparation of initial national assessments of children’s health and chemical safety to identify
priority concerns as a basis for developing action plans.
 Development of mechanisms to facilitate collaborative national and international research.
 Sharing of information on effective action to protect children from established chemical risks
where there is a degree of uncertainty.