America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007

Indicator Needed

Physical Environment and Safety

Children are exposed to many different contaminants in the environment. Measurements of contaminants in air, water, land, and food provide indirect indications of children's potential exposures to these contaminants. Increasing efforts are underway to assess exposures through "body burden" measurements—contaminant levels in samples of blood and other fluids, such as blood lead levels. However, these direct body burden measurements are not available for many environmental contaminants of concern. Both environmental and body burden measurements are needed to characterize children's environments.

• Environmental quality. Although this report provides indicators for contaminants in both outdoor and indoor air, regular sources of national data are needed to assess indoor air contaminants other than environmental tobacco smoke (e.g., pesticides) that are commonly encountered in homes, schools, and day care settings. Data are needed to more thoroughly characterize children's potential exposure to drinking water contaminants. Indicators are also needed for food and soil contaminants and for cumulative exposures to multiple environmental contaminants that children encounter daily.