The objective of the TEACH project is to improve information base on children's1 environmental health risks in order to:
- Streamline and facilitate the search for current children's health information in the scientific literature;
- Support existing children's health efforts;
- Identify data and information gaps in the literature on children's environmental health.
Environmental contaminants found in air, water, food, and soil can affect children1 differently than adults. Children's susceptibility results from two primary factors: increased or unique sensitivity to toxic effects of contaminants due to rapid growth and development; and increased exposure because of physical size and behavioral characteristics.
The ability of the U.S. EPA to protect children from environmental contaminant health risks improves with advancing knowledge. For example, recent federal initiatives, such as the National Children's Health Study, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) are making important strides in providing more information that is based on children's environmental health risks.The TEACH Web site contributes to these improvements. The primary purpose of the TEACH project is to report and summarize recent children's health-related studies from the scientific literature and U.S. government resources that pertain to 20 chemicals of concern. The TEACH project compiles and organizes information from many resources into one resource in a meaningful way that adds utility to the information. Scientific research studies included in the TEACH Database and TEACH Chemical Summaries are from peer-reviewed journals. The TEACH Project Scope does not include a critical review of each study nor an evaluation of its scientific quality (e.g., whether conflicting evidence is available elsewhere). Similarly, TEACH does not make recommendations on the basis of the information presented on the Web site, or derive values for purposes of risk assessment.
Childhood represents a lifestage rather than a subpopulation—the distinction being that a subpopulation refers to a portion of the population, whereas a lifestage is inclusive of the entire population.
The TEACH list of chemicals2 includes:
|2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid||Mercury (Elemental)|
|Atrazine||Mercury (Methylmercury and Ethylmercury)|
|Benzene||Nitrates and Nitrites|
|Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)||Permethrin and Resmethrin (Pyrethroids)|
|Bisphenol A (BPA)||Phthalates|
|DEET||Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)|
|Dichlorvos||Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)|
For a description of the intended audience for TEACH information, go to Target Audience for the TEACH Project.
For a description of the goals and scope of the TEACH project, go to TEACH Project Scope.
For a description of how documents in the TEACH Database and TEACH Chemical Summaries are generated, go to TEACH Protocols.
1: Childhood represents a lifestage rather than a subpopulation -- the distinction being that a subpopulation refers to a portion of the population, whereas a lifestage is inclusive of the entire population.
2: Exposure to lead can pose significant health hazards to children. See Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil for more information.