UN or regional body paper
Environmental Determinants of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001An estimated 317 million children globally—10 to 15 per cent—live with a neurodevelopmental disorder, with higher rates in low- and middle-income countries. Rising rates are linked to improved diagnosis and increased prenatal and early childhood exposures to environmental pollutants including metals, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals. The document calls for better screening tools, biomonitoring in under-resourced countries, and policies to ensure air, water, food and consumer goods are free of neurotoxicants to protect children's brain development.
Key points
- An estimated 317 million children (10-15% globally) live with a neurodevelopmental disorder
- Rates are highest in low- and middle-income countries
- Environmental exposures to metals, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals during pregnancy and early childhood harm brain development
- Better validated and culturally appropriate screening tools are needed in under-resourced countries
- Policies should prioritize healthy pregnancies and ensure environmental safety from neurotoxicants
Limitations
The document does not provide country-specific data or detailed prevalence figures by type of disorder. It does not evaluate any specific intervention or programme outcomes.
Abstract
An estimated 317 million children—10 to 15 per cent globally—live with a neurodevelopmental disorder, and rates are highest in low- and middle-income countries. Rates of some NDDs have increased, likely due to both improved diagnostic methods and an increase in prenatal and early childhood exposures to environmental pollutants known to be harmful to the developing brain, including metals, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals.Support is needed for additional research to more accurately characterize NDD prevalence through validated, culturally appropriate screening tools and biomonitoring to quantify environmental chemical exposures in under-resourced countries. The prioritization of programmes and policies that support healthy pregnancies and ensure that air, drinking water, foods and consumer goods are free of neurotoxicants can help to protect children’s developing brains.