title: Children's health in Latin America: the influence of environmental exposures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic diseases are increasing among children in Latin America.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine environmental risk factors for chronic disease in Latin American children and to develop a strategic initiative for control of these exposures, the World Health Organization (WHO) including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Collegium Ramazzini, and Latin American scientists reviewed regional and relevant global data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Industrial development and urbanization are proceeding rapidly in Latin America, and environmental pollution has become widespread. Environmental threats to children's health include traditional hazards such as indoor air pollution and drinking-water contamination; the newer hazards of urban air pollution; toxic chemicals such as lead, asbestos, mercury, arsenic, and pesticides; hazardous and electronic waste; and climate change. The mix of traditional and modern hazards varies greatly across and within countries reflecting industrialization, urbanization, and socioeconomic forces.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To control environmental threats to children's health in Latin America, WHO, including PAHO, will focus on the most highly prevalent and serious hazards-indoor and outdoor air pollution, water pollution, and toxic chemicals. Strategies for controlling these hazards include developing tracking data on regional trends in children's environmental health (CEH), building a network of Collaborating Centres, promoting biomedical research in CEH, building regional capacity, supporting development of evidence-based prevention policies, studying the economic costs of chronic diseases in children, and developing platforms for dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laborde
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomasina
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Marie-Noel
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Bruné
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Buka
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Comba
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corra
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cori
authors.forename: Christin Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Duffert
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harari
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iavarone
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McDiarmid
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Sly
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Suk
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Landrigan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D003906:Developing Countries; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004782:Environmental Health; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010175:Pan American Health Organization; D014507:Urbanization; D014944:World Health Organization