Impact of environmental policy on children's exposure: Examining trends in biomonitoring of five environmental chemicals

Due to unique behavioral traits and developmental processes, children are often more susceptible to chemical insults than adults and thus may stand to benefit the most from national policy-based interventions. However, the nationwide impact of environmental policy on children's exposure to a variety of chemicals remains largely unstudied. The United States Environmental Protection Agency's America's Children and the Environment (ACE) report documents trends in children's environmental exposure and health over time, using data from nationally representative sources such as the Centers for Disease Control's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We examine the historical impact of national environmental policy on children's exposure to five environmental chemicals – lead, mercury, perfluorochemicals, bisphenol A, and perchlorate – for which biomonitoring trends are presented in the draft third edition of the ACE report. We assess the extent to which the unique policy history of each of these chemicals may have influenced corresponding trends in children's exposure through a comparative analysis including statistical tests for biomonitoring trends over time. Findings for chemicals with a long research and regulatory history are contrasted with findings for potential emerging threats to children's health. We find that key policy actions help to explain declines in exposure to some chemicals over time, while upward or steady patterns in exposure to other chemicals reflect the absence of broad and influential policy action. Although a variety of other factors such as state policy, public awareness, and business choices may play a role in determining these trends, evidence for the impact of national policy on children's environmental health is strong. Despite progress, opportunities for improving children's environmental health through national policy-based intervention remain.