The document is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) first report on trends in measures reflecting environmental factors that may affect the health and well-being of children in the United States. This report represents an initial step in the identification, development, and compilation of a set of measures that fully reflect environmental factors important for children. It presents measures that reflect trends in levels of environmental contaminants in air, water, food, and soil; concentrations of lead measured in children's bodies; and childhood diseases that may be influenced by environmental factors. This report has two principal objectives. First, it presents concrete, quantifiable measures for key factors relevant to the environment and children in the United States. This initial work offers a basis for a better understanding of time trends for some of these factors and for further investigation of others. The second purpose of this report is to provide a starting point for discussions among policymakers and the public about how to improve federal data on children and the environment. The long-term purpose of 'America's Children and the Environment' is to identify or develop measures that could be used by policymakers and the public to track and understand the environmental health experience of children and, ultimately, to identify and evaluate ways to improve it.

"December 2000"--Cover. "EPA 240-R-00-006"--Cover. Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-64).

Presents concrete, quantifiable measures for key factors relevant to the environment and children in the United States and provides a starting point for discussions among policymakers and the public about how to improve federal data on children and the environment.