Resources for Children's Environmental Health

Children are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards because their bodies and brains are still developing. This new resource page brings together practical information to help parents, caregivers, and communities keep kids healthy.

On this page
Asthma | Copper | Food preparation | Food storage | Foodborne contamination and illness | Heat | Indoor pool risks | Lead | Manganese | Mercury | Nitrate | Outdoor water risks | PFAS | Radon | Wildfires and air quality

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. It can be triggered by pollutants, chemicals, emotions, dust mites, mold, dander, and pests. 

How it affects you 
Asthma symptoms vary and can flare up anytime, which may include: wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness or pain.

Action steps 
Talk to your health care provider to understand asthma triggers and learn ways to reduce or eliminate exposure to triggers.

Resources
Asthma

Copper

Copper is a metal that occurs naturally and is used to make many products. Copper can get into your drinking water as the water passes through your household plumbing system. 

How it affects you 
Infants are more sensitive to copper. eating or drinking too much copper can cause headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, liver damage, and kidney disease.

Action steps 
Let water run for at least 30-60 seconds before using it for drinking or cooking if the water hasn’t been turned on for over six hours, use 
cold water for making baby formula, test your water if you have a well. 

Resources
Copper in Drinking Water

Food preparation

Proper food preparation limits the spread of foodborne illness-causing pathogens by incorporating safe food handling, thawing, washing, and preparation.

How it affects you 
Improper food preparation can lead to dangerous foodborne pathogens being spread around the kitchen and house. Foodborne illnesses can lead to life-altering and long-term consequences, or death. For instance, washing a chicken breast contaminated with harmful microbes can spread those microbes via water splashing.

Action steps 
Wash your hands before and after preparing food, do NOT prepare food 
while ill, avoid any juices from meats coming into contact with other foods, 
do NOT wash your raw meats, wash fruits and vegetables 
under running water – rub the fruit skin under water - and blot 
dry before consumption. Use a meat thermometer to ensure 
meats have reached proper internal temperatures.

Resources
Proper Cooking Temperatures for Safe Food At Home
Don't Wash Your Chicken
Handling and Preparing Specific Foods

Food storage

Food storage is the process of keeping foods in environments that do not promote bacterial growth in order to prevent foodborne illness.

How it affects you 
Without proper food storage, food will spoil and contain larger amounts of harmful contaminants. Eating food that has spoiled can cause potentially dangerous foodborne illnesses, especially in children. Some foodborne illnesses can lead to life-altering and long-term consequences, or death.

Action steps 
Keep refrigerator below 41 degrees Fahrenheit and freezer at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, do not leave foods out more than 2 hours, keep 
perishable items in kids’ lunches cool with ice packs, reheat leftovers as 
soon as possible and to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to 
kill pathogens.

Resources
Storing & Preserving: Keeping Food Safe At Home

Foodborne contamination and illness

Foodborne illness is caused by eating foods contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or chemicals. 

How it affects you 
Young children, especially those under 5 years old, are more likely to become seriously sick (diarrhea and/or vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, joint/back aches, and fatigue) from foodborne illnesses. Some foodborne illnesses can lead to life-altering and long-term consequences, or death.

Action steps 
Wash your hands before and after cooking, limit consumption of 
raw egg products, use a meat thermometer to ensure meats have 
reached proper internal temperatures. Prevent cross 
contamination by separating foods and wrapping meats securely. 

Resources
Foodborne Illness
Proper Cooking Temperatures for Safe Food At Home 
(Print page for temperature chart)

Heat

Extreme heat describes weather that is much hotter and/or humid than typical for a place and time of year. Extreme heat is expected to become more common, more severe, and last longer due to climate change.

How it affects you 
Bodies have to work harder to maintain a normal temperature during extreme heat. When our bodies struggle to stay cool, we can get sick with heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Action steps 
Follow local weather and news reports, stay hydrated, and stay cool by moving to a shaded area or air-conditioned space.

Resources
Extreme Heat

Indoor pool risks

Indoor pools can contain harmful germs, chemicals, and drain covers. These can cause physical and chemical injuries, as well as dangerous illnesses.

How it affects you 
Swimming in improperly maintained indoor pools can put children at risk of skin infections, vomiting and diarrhea, and severe injury/death, especially if the pool is poorly maintained.

Action steps 
Do not swim in pools with STRONG chlorine smells, cloudy water/water you cannot see the bottom of, foam or scum lines on the water’s edge, a 
recent incident of diarrhea, or a loose/missing drain cover. Take kids for 
FREQUENT bathroom breaks at the pool, shower with soap and water 
before and after entering the water, change diapers in 
changing rooms – not poolside.

Resources
Wading Pool Safety for Parents (PDF)

Lead

Lead dust is a main source of exposure in children. Household dust can contain lead from cracked, chipped or peeling lead-based paint and tracked contaminated soil.

How it affects you 
Lead exposure in young children can cause learning and behavioral problems.

Action steps 
Reduce lead in your home by keeping it as dust-free as possible with regular cleaning. Wash your child’s hands with soap and water before eating, naps, and bedtime. 

Resources
Common Sources of Lead

Manganese

Manganese occurs naturally in rocks and soil across the state and is often found in Minnesota ground and surface water. 

How it affects you 
Children who drink water with high levels of manganese for a long time may have problems with memory, attention, and motor skills. Infants may develop learning and behavior problems if they drink water with too much manganese. 

Action steps 
If you drink well water, get your water tested. 

Resources
Manganese in Drinking Water

Mercury

Mercury is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil, water, air and living things. It is also found in some products like skin-lightening creams and fish and seafood.

How it affects you 
Too much mercury can cause lasting problems with understanding and learning.

Resources
Mercury

Nitrate

Nitrate is both a naturally occurring compound and has many human-made sources. Nitrate is in some lakes, rivers, and groundwater in Minnesota.

How it affects you 
Consuming too much nitrate can affect how blood carries oxygen and cause methemoglobinemia (also known as a blue baby syndrome). Bottle-fed babies under six months old are at the highest risk of getting this illness. Methemoglobinemia can result in serious illness or death.

Action steps 
If you have a private well, test for nitrate every other year.

Resources
Nitrate in Drinking Water

Outdoor water risks

Outdoor water can contain a large amount of harmful germs, chemicals, algae blooms, and amoeba. These contaminants are spread by swallowing or having contact with contaminated water.

How it affects you 
Outdoor water contaminants can be extremely serious, leading to severe illness or death. Rain can wash contaminants from land into indoor outdoor water bodies, including things like toxic chemicals and animal feces.

Action steps 
Do not swim at the beach if you see discharge pipes leading to the water, 
after a rain event, or if you see algae bloom. Also do not swallow the water 
or swim in warm, shallow water bodies. All of these indicate poor water 
quality and are a risk to health. Watch for beach advisory signs before 
entering the water – but remember that water conditions can change rapidly.

Resources
Preventing Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs): Staying Healthy at the Beach and Lake

PFAS

PFAS are a family of human-made chemicals that are extremely stable and do not breakdown in the environment. You can be exposed to PFAS through drinking water or consumer products that contain PFAS.

How it affects you 
Exposure to PFAS chemicals are associated with lower birth weights, decreased antibodies in young children, and increased cholesterol in adults. 

Action steps 
Limit use of consumer products that contain PFAS, follow fish consumption guidance to choose fish low in PFAS, Remove household dust.

Resources
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  

Radon

Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that comes from the soil and can accumulate in the home.

How it affects you 
Radon gas decays into fine particles that are radioactive. When inhaled, these fine particles can damage the lungs. Exposure to radon over a long period of time can lead to lung cancer.

Action steps 
All Minnesota homeowners should test their homes for radon to find out how much radon is in your home.

Resources
Asthma

Wildfires and air quality

Breathing in air pollutants, like ground-level ozone and fine particles (also called PM2.5), can contribute to coughing or itchy eyes and breathing, heart, and lung diseases.

How it affects you 
Children are more susceptible to air quality concerns as they breathe in more air relative to their body weight than adults. Look for coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness as symptoms of air quality concerns, limit activity by idling cars or buses, plan outdoor activities for cool days to avoid ozone pollution.

Action steps 
Check your area’s air quality before engaging in any outside activity.

Resources
Air Quality, Climate and Health
Minnesota Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care
Air quality and health
Fine particles

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