ERIC Number: EJ684568
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0003-066X
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Available Date: N/A
Environmental Toxicants and Developmental Disabilities: A Challenge for Psychologists
Koger, Susan M.; Schettler, Ted; Weiss, Bernard
American Psychologist, v60 n3 p243-255 Apr 2005
Developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities are a significant public health problem. Environmental chemicals can interfere with brain development during critical periods, thereby impacting sensory, motor, and cognitive function. Because regulation in the United States is based on limited testing protocols and essentially requires proof of harm rather than proof of lack of harm, some undefined fraction of these disabilities may reflect adverse impacts of this "vast toxicological experiment" (H. L. Needleman, as quoted in B. Weiss & P. J. Landrigan, 2000, p. 373). Yet the hazards of environmental pollutants are inherently preventable. Psychologists can help prevent developmental disabilities by mobilizing and affecting public policy, educating and informing consumers, contributing to interdisciplinary research efforts, and taking action within their own homes and communities to reduce the toxic threat to children.
Descriptors: Public Policy, Psychologists, Public Health, Developmental Disabilities, Brain, Children, Environmental Influences, Hazardous Materials, Child Health, Child Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A