title: Using patterns of child growth and development to assess communitywide effects of low-level exposure to toxic materials.
abstract: Child growth is a low tech method for assessing a socially valued health outcome, and its assessment focuses attention on the early portion of the lifespan. It is easily measured and sensitive to a variety of influences including chemical ones. As summary measure of health, it does not signify that a particular chemical is present, but it is a response to a variety of them. When used in conjunction with other epidemiologic methods, child growth assessment constitutes a practical, socially meaningful and biologically reasonable tool to assess the impact on community health and well being of chronic low-level exposures to toxic materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York 12222, USA. lms77@cnsibm.albany.edu
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schell
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects*; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances