December 12th, 2017
The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) is committed to promoting a safe and healthy environment for children through regulations, standards, policies, and risk assessments that consider special childhood vulnerabilities to environmental agents (EPA 1996a). Many environmental health threats to children may not be recognized because we do not have a complete understanding of when and why children’s exposures and responses differ from those of adults. This may affect EPA’s ability to identify environmental hazards, assess risks, and act to protect children. EPA’sOffice of Research andDevelopment (ORD) is responsible for conducting research to provide the scientific foundation for risk assessment and risk management at EPA. In 1998, ORD initiated the Children’s Health program to support research on environmental risks to children. ORD and the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) charged a team of ORD and OPPTS scientists with developing the Strategy for Research on Environmental Risks to Children (EPA 1997a)1 to provide strategic direction for the Children’s Health program.