A new report published in The New England Journal of Medicine argues that weak chemical safety laws in the United States are putting children’s health at risk.
Researchers from the Consortium for Children’s Environmental Health, led by pediatrician and environmental health expert Dr. Phillip Landrigan of Boston College, highlight the growing evidence linking childhood disease to manufactured chemicals. They call for urgent legislative action to strengthen oversight and prioritize public health over industry interests.
“Associations between widely used chemicals and disease in children continue to be discovered with distressing frequency, and it is likely that there are additional, still unknown links,” they write. “Protecting children from chemicals’ dangers will require fundamental revamping of current law and restructuring of the chemical industry to prioritize children’s health.”
The report details how industrial chemicals, largely unregulated and untested for toxicity, have proliferated in the environment. This widespread chemical exposure, the authors argue, is a key driver of rising childhood illnesses, including cancer, asthma, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
You've landed on a MIA journalism article that is funded by MIA supporters. To read the full article, sign up as a MIA Supporter. All active donors get full access to all MIA content, and free passes to all Mad in America events.
Current MIA supporters can log in below.(If you can't afford to support MIA in this way, email us at [email protected] and we will provide you with access to all donor-supported content.)
