Abstract
Even children who appear healthy can have dangerous levels of environmental toxins in their bodies. The health effects of environmental toxins, especially neurological effects, are particularly damaging to children. Environmental toxins have several similarities among them as most are neurotoxins and cannot be destroyed. Chemicals such as arsenic, PCBs, lead, and mercury will remain part of our environment for years to come. Pediatric nurse practitioners must become knowledgeable about environmental toxins and inform their families of ways to prevent exposures. Much of the information regarding environmental toxins is available via the World Wide Web. However, many Web sites for information regarding environmental toxins and other pediatric environmental health issues may not contain accurate information. Nurse practitioners should make themselves aware of Web sites for environmental toxins that contain accurate information that may be suggested to patients and their families. The Web sites for the EPA (www.epa.gov), the ATSDR (www.atsdr.cdc.gov), and the CDC (www.cdc.gov) contain accurate and current information regarding environmental toxins. These Web sites also link readers to other Web sites with reliable, valid information on environmental toxins.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 350-352 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Pediatric Health Care |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health