Children’s Health Month and the Importance of Outdoor and Indoor Environmental Quality

The month of October is recognized as Children’s Health Month. To provide the public with information and help to spread public awareness of the month of recognition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a list of online resources about protecting children from a wide range of all too common environmental exposure risks.

Understanding these risks is important as the agency states that children are often more vulnerable to pollutants than adults due to differences in behavior and biology that can lead to greater exposure and/or unique windows of susceptibility during development.

For example, the EPA reports that children may be more vulnerable to chemicals and microorganisms they are exposed to in the environment because:

• Children’s nervous, immune response, digestive and other bodily systems are still developing and are more easily harmed
• Children eat more food, drink more fluids and breathe more air than adults in proportion to their body size – so it is important to take extra care to ensure the safety of their food, drink and air
• The way children behave – such as crawling and placing objects in their mouths can increase their risk of exposure to chemicals and organisms in the environment

“There are a number of exposure risks that too many children may encounter at home or in daycare centers, schools, playgrounds or even in their own backyard,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “These could include lead in paint, dust, soil or water; damp and moldy indoor environments; mercury; PCBs; pesticides; cleaning chemicals; wildfire smoke; tobacco smoke; e-cigarette vapors; radon; asbestos; particulate matter; asthma triggers such as dust mites, cockroaches, rodents and pet dander; carbon monoxide; contaminated water; ticks that spread Lyme disease; sewer gas; and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to name a few.”

With environmental testing laboratories located across the United States and Canada, EMSL Analytical offers testing services for all of these concerns and more. Their microbial and chemical analyses, along with sampling supplies and easy-to-use test kits, are instrumental for identifying indoor and outdoor threats. EMSL has also sponsored an educational video about Children’s Health Month and potential environmental hazards that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/zK3mLG-JWaY.

To learn more about environmental testing services and monitoring equipment, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email  info@EMSL.com . To access indoor environmental quality (IEQ) test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.


About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with over 46 locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP 797, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA LAP, LLC. (AIHA EMLAP, AIHA IHLAP, AIHA ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 856-303-2503

Contact via E-mail