title: Today's epidemics in children: possible relations to environmental pollution and suggested preventive measures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Facts and hypotheses on the relationship between some children's diseases or disorders and external stressors during the developmental stage of a child, both prenatally and postnatally are described in literature. In this paper the following changes in patterns and causes of the main childhood illnesses are summarized and recommendations for actions are made. Prematurity. Intra-uterine growth restriction. Testicular dysgenesis syndrome. Type I and Type II diabetes. Asthma, atopy and hay fever. Autism. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Learning disabilities. Cancer. Obesity. Hearing problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Literature provides a growing amount of information on changing patterns in childhood diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The following recommendations for action are formulated: Immediate research on endocrine disrupters in relation to prematurity. Diabetes: avoid Maillard Compounds in liquid baby food and in food in general: promote breastfeeding. Asthma: avoid exposure to smoking, the use of chemical household products, dioxin and dioxin-like chemicals, and avoid air pollution with high levels of particulate matter, especially around conception, during pregnancy and in the first years of life. Autism: more research on incidence and causes. ADHD and learning disabilities: more research on prevalence and causes. Preventions: 1) preconception counselling to avoid potentially harmful substances; 2) controlling and further lowering levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and methyl mercury. Cancer: promote breastfeeding, carry out research into effects of foetal exposure to internal fission-product radionuclides. Obesity: stop smoking in pregnancy, avoid parental obesity, longer night sleep. Hearing problems: lower noise levels in discothèques, promote the day-evening-night level to avoid noise (longer night sleep).
authors.affiliation: Public Health Services Gelderland Midden, Arnhem, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van den Hazel
authors.forename: Moniek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuurbier
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Babisch
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartonova
authors.forename: Marie Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bistrup
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bolte
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Busby
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Butter
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ceccatelli
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fucic
authors.forename: Wojtec
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hanke
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohlhuber
authors.forename: Marike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leijs
authors.forename: Christofer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lundqvist
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moshammer
authors.forename: Rima
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naginiene
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Preece
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ronchetti
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salines
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoeters
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stilianakis
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: ten Tusscher
authors.forename: Janna G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Koppe
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004782:Environmental Health; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology; D014943:Global Health; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007225:Infant Food / Q000009:adverse effects; D041943:Infant Formula; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D052801:Male Urogenital Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors