Young children's in Darjeeling - India
Preventing early life environmental exposure
Evidence is increasingly identifying links between early life exposures to environmental hazards and child health outcomes. Early life exposures may include exposures to environmental hazards during the prenatal period, infancy, childhood and adolescence. These are periods of rapid and essential development and growth that, if disturbed or deranged, may result in irreparable damage. Environmental exposures during these periods may also contribute to the development of diseases later in life. We must protect the environment now to ensure the health of children for generations to come. WHO is working to prevent early life exposure to environmental hazards through:
WHO’s work into children’s environmental health and preventing early life exposures currently focuses on chemicals, e-waste, endocrine disrupting chemicals and air pollution.
