The New York State Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This course has been awarded 2.4 contact hours.

Recent events have heightened our awareness of the extraordinary environmental threats posed by terrorists. What about environmental contamination that results from ordinary day-to-day living? There is growing evidence that disruption of the natural environment contributes to recent trends in the increase of asthma, childhood cancer, developmental and mental health problems, etc. The purpose of this course is to show how nurses can advocate for children by helping parents to both understand the problem and become part of the solution. By sharing information about environmental problems and solutions with parents, nurses can empower parents to protect their children.

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Course Objectives

At the completion of this learning activity the learner will be able to:

• Identify the impact of environmentally related disease on children.

• Discuss developmental considerations when assessing environmental threats to children.

• Discuss the impact of organophosphate pesticides on the health of children.

• Discuss indoor and outdoor air quality and its impact on children's health.

• Describe the nurse's role in educating parents regarding environmental threats.