Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City, NY, USA.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2011 May;30(5):842-50. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0151. Epub 2011 May 4.
A key policy breakthrough occurred nearly twenty years ago with the discovery that children are far more sensitive than adults to toxic chemicals in the environment. This finding led to the recognition that chemical exposures early in life are significant and preventable causes of disease in children and adults. We review this knowledge and recommend a new policy to regulate industrial and consumer chemicals that will protect the health of children and all Americans, prevent disease, and reduce health care costs. The linchpins of a new US chemical policy will be: first, a legally mandated requirement to test the toxicity of chemicals already in commerce, prioritizing chemicals in the widest use, and incorporating new assessment technologies; second, a tiered approach to premarket evaluation of new chemicals; and third, epidemiologic monitoring and focused health studies of exposed populations.
大约二十年前，一项重要的政策突破出现了，人们发现儿童比成年人更容易受到环境中有毒化学物质的影响。这一发现使得人们认识到，生命早期的化学物质暴露是导致儿童和成人疾病的重要且可预防的原因。我们回顾了这方面的知识，并建议制定一项新的政策来监管工业和消费用化学品，以保护儿童和所有美国人的健康，预防疾病，并降低医疗保健成本。美国新化学政策的关键要素将是：第一，法律规定必须测试已在商业中使用的化学品的毒性，优先考虑使用最广泛的化学品，并采用新的评估技术；第二，对新化学品采用分层的上市前评估方法；第三，对暴露人群进行流行病学监测和重点健康研究。
