Why are children more vulnerable to toxic chemical exposure?

Even though children are smaller than adults, they actually consume more food and liquids and breathe more air per unit of body weight, which also means that they potentially ingest and absorb higher levels of toxic chemicals than adults in relation to their body size. Particular physiological and developmental characteristics also make children more vulnerable to toxics once they have been exposed. Depending on age, a child’s ability to metabolize, detoxify and excrete chemicals can vary; and exposures at critical periods of development can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system, cause behavioural problems, suppress the immune system and damage reproductive organs. Also, regular childhood behaviour places children in closer contact with potential sources of contamination, mainly because of their exploratory nature, frequent hand-to-mouth activity, and proximity to the ground.