An overview of potential environmental public health and exposure concerns for day care centers

In general, children are among the most susceptible (to exposure) and vulnerable (to adverse health outcomes) sub-populations. In child care centers/day care centers (CCC) in public and private settings, the relative focus is on infants (0-1 years old), toddlers (1-2 years old) and pre-K (3-5 years old) sub-groups. Younger children have enhanced susceptibility and vulnerability due to typical behaviors, dependency on adult caregivers, and immune/physical immaturity. This presentation reviews potential environmental exposures and thus risks to health and safety at U.S. CCC from the perspective of a trained environmental and occupational health and safety professional with engineering and field research and practice experience in academia, non-profits and government agencies/laboratories. This presentation frames the specific educational intervention programs currently in use in the U.S. described by participating colleagues from national non-profits and academia. Exposures to be discussed are relevant across age groups, i.e., to young children as well as the working adult caregivers who may be younger or older themselves. Exposures can be biological, chemical (organic and inorganic/metals), physical and ergonomic, and radiological (e.g., naturally occurring radon); there is also an emerging appreciation of the role of social stressors (co-exposure). One example of a project involving a collaboration of academia and the regional office of a federal agency regarding integrated pest management versus chemical pesticide use (pyrethroids) will be summarized. It demonstrated structural and maintenance changes were likely more difficult to implement due to external circumstances such as lack of staff and control over the actual property where CCC were located.