Staffed by pediatricians, medical toxicologists, and resource specialists, the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Boston Children's Hospital coordinates the care of children and adolescents exposed to a wide range of environmental hazards, including including lead, arsenic, mercury, pesticides, and indoor air pollutants such as carbon monoxide.
Our expertise
The Pediatric Environmental Health Center provides comprehensive, coordinated services for children exposed to environmental toxins.
- Patient evaluation: complete history and physical exam
- Laboratory testing: testing for toxic exposures
- Environmental assessments: assistance with arranging for environmental assessments as well as with interpreting results of such assessments
- Treatment provided by experienced pediatric environmental medicine toxicologists
- Prevention: guidance and practical advice for reducing and eliminating exposures
- Telephone and/or written consultations to treating primary care providers
- 24-hour telephone access: 1-888-Child14
In addition to providing clinical services, our staff and affiliated staff are doing research to answer important questions in pediatric environmental health, including:
- How do lead and mercury affect children of different ages?
- What’s the best way to treat children with lead and mercury poisoning? When should medications that bind metals be used?
- For adolescents that work: what type of toxic exposures do they have, and how can overexposures be prevented?
- What do other health professionals, such as pediatric primary care providers, need to know about pediatric environmental health?
- What are the best ways to promote education about pediatric environmental health issues?
Our diversity, equity, and inclusion promise
- Goal 1: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to being an inclusive environment that does not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination, or bias.
- Goal 2: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to recruiting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce.
- Goal 3: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to eliminating structural racism from all policies, guidelines and practices.
- Goal 4: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to implementing a comprehensive and widely distributed education curriculum that provides consistent and longitudinal training on the impact of racism on child health and the health of people of childbearing age.
- Goal 5: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to being a leader in eliminating health disparities in our communities and in our nation.
- Goal 6: The Pediatric Environmental Health Center is committed to leading in the development, implementation, and tracking of metrics for diversity, equity and inclusion.
