United States
    Environmental Protection
    Agency
EPA/600/S-07/038 I December 2007 I http://www.epa.gov
                                  A Decade of  Children's
                                  Environmental  Health Research
                                  Highlights from EPA's
                                  Science to Achieve Results Program
                                                             SUMMARY  REPORT

                                                             Executive  Summary
    Office of Research and Development
    National Center for Environmental Research

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Executive  Summary
In 1997, Federal Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks,
mandated Federal agencies to place a high priority on identifying and assessing risks affecting children and to ensure
their policies, standards, and programs address disproportionate risks to children. The Executive Order stimulated
a wide array of research supported by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particularly through the
National Center of Environmental Research's (NCER) extramural Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant program.
In 1998, the STAR grant program, which supports human health, ecology, economics and engineering sciences through
grants, centers, and fellowships, initiated a diverse portfolio focused specifically on children's environmental health
research. The goal of this research is to better understand children's genetic, life stage, and behavioral susceptibilities.
The research also aims to better characterize child-specific harmful chemical exposures and to demonstrate cost effective,
protective interventions, particularly at the household and community level. Since 1998, the STAR grant program has
issued more than 10 research solicitations and awarded over 60 grants focusing on children's environmental health,
including: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (21 Children's Centers
awards—11 currently active); Aggregate Exposure Assessment of Pesticide Exposure (3 grants); Biomarkers for
Children's Risks (8 grants); Children's Vulnerability to Toxics (19 grants); Children's Valuation (7 grants); and Early
Indicators of Environmentally Related Disease (5 grants). To date, NCER has funded more than a hundred individual
projects resulting in more than a thousand peer-reviewed articles in a wide array of scientific publications.
Since the passage of the Executive Order 10 years ago, this research has increased scientific knowledge of many
aspects of children's environmental health. For example, studies have shed light on how environmental exposures
change across life stages from newborn to school-age children and some of the genetic factors that contribute to
children's vulnerability. Research has also provided insight on how to appropriately assess aggregate and cumulative
exposures, suggested what biological markers in children's urine or blood tell us about exposure or effects, and
indicated what steps need to be taken in order to prevent harmful exposures, including which interventions are effective
and sustainable. This is particularly the  case for residential pesticide exposure, which was an articulated focus of the
STAR grant program during the past 10 years. Some of the major research findings include the following:
  • People metabolize pesticides differently based on their genotype; some faster, others slower. This finding is of
    particular concern during pregnancy, as many babies do not develop the ability to metabolize some pesticides
    during the first two years of life, putting them at greater risks of health effects.
  • Children living close to major roadways in Southern California have  a higher risk of asthma.
  • EPA's ban on two household pesticides (diazinon and chlorpyrifos) resulted in a rapid decrease in exposures in
    New York City. Children born after the ban were also healthier.
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can be effectively implemented in urban areas to reduce both pesticide and
    allergen triggers.
  • Community partners play a critical role in informing, implementing,  and translating children's environmental
    health research.
While much has been discovered in the  last 10 years, there is still much to learn about children's environmental
health. Building on the many lessons learned in characterizing pesticide exposures during early development and in
investigating the multiple impacts of indoor and outdoor air pollution on childhood asthma, NCER is now broadening
its focus. Recently, the STAR grant program has increased its support for research on less characterized, though
increasingly common, chemicals (for example, plasticizers and flame retardants) and chronic childhood ailments
(for example, autism and other developmental disabilities). The STAR grant program will continue to work closely
with Federal, state, and community partners to disseminate these and many other findings in order to create healthier
environments and nurture healthier children. The STAR grant program also anticipates continuing, even broadening,
Federal partnerships for future research efforts that build upon the progress that has already been made. For more
information about NCER and the STAR grant program, please visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer. For more information
on the Children's Centers, please visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer/childrenscenters.

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