Using patterns of child growth and development to assess communitywide effects of low-level exposure to toxic materials.

Child growth is a low tech method for assessing a socially valued health outcome, and its assessment focuses attention on the early portion of the lifespan. It is easily measured and sensitive to a variety of influences including chemical ones. As summary measure of health, it does not signify that a particular chemical is present, but it is a response to a variety of them. When used in conjunction with other epidemiologic methods, child growth assessment constitutes a practical, socially meaningful and biologically reasonable tool to assess the impact on community health and well being of chronic low-level exposures to toxic materials.