Textbook of Children's Environmental Health

Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD, is an internationally recognized pediatrician, environmental epidemiologist, and preventive medicine specialist. Dr. Etzel is the founding editor of Pediatric Environmental Health, now in its fourth edition. She performed the first study documenting that children with secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke had measurable exposure to nicotine. Her pioneering work led to nationwide efforts to reduce indoor exposure to tobacco, including the ban on smoking in US airliners. She also produced the first research to show that exposure to toxigenic molds in the home could be dangerous to infants' health. From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Etzel led the World Health Organization's activities to protect children from environmental hazards. She teaches at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, is a pediatrician and epidemiologist. His research examines the connections between toxic chemicals and children's health. His studies of lead poisoning demonstrated that lead is toxic to children even at very low levels and contributed to the US government's 1975 decision to remove lead from paint and gasoline, actions that reduced blood lead levels in the USA by 95% and increased children's average IQ by 5 points. A study he led in the 1990's at the National Academy of Sciences defined children's unique susceptibilities to pesticides and catalyzed fundamental revamping of US pesticide policy. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Landrigan co-chaired the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, and he led the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health from 2022 to 2023. Dr. Landrigan directs the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College.