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| Environmental exposure to a large number of substances have been associated with developmental disabilities, many of which involve the nervous system. Neurotoxic substances usually cause adverse effects on the nervous system through direct toxic actions on the nervous system cells.
Current knowledge in this field and in the understanding of mechanisms of action of neurotoxic substances is still rather limited.
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The central nervous system is particularly vulnerable to toxic effects during early development. Nervous system damage, once incurred during a developmental stage, is likely to be irreversible and may change the affected individual’s quality of life and economic and social success.The extent to which current environmental pollution causes adverse effects on brain development is unknown. The contaminants that have been studied in the greatest detail, i.e. lead, methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are likely to cause adverse health effects in people exposed to high concentrations.
For further information about developmental disorders see some reference websites at the bottom of this page.
The indicators below describe pressure, exposure, health effects and action for the disease under scrutiny, with indicators of health effects presented at the top. Indicator-based assessments cover all countries in the WHO European Region and provide information on the environment and health context, the policy relevance and context, as well as suggestions for further monitoring. When available, case studies of health impact assessment (HIA) are also presented.
These indicators contribute to monitoring the health effects of environmental exposures towards the achievement of four priorities goals for the pan-European Region (so called regional priority goals, RPGs) set by the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in 2004, and on which the 53 Member States of WHO/Europe have committed to take action.
For the definition and other details about each indicator, please read the metadata section within the assessment and read the information on indicator methodology.
The following WHO and EU websites offer further information about developmental disorders.
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Environmental Health indicators quantify information on population exposure, related health effects and specific policy actions. The ways environmental factors affect health and quality of life are analysed using data sets of primarily international available data and scientific evidence.
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Data used for the preparation of charts included in the assessment (fact sheet), in .xls format.
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Data for the indicator available in the ENHIS database.
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Case study or feasibility study on health impact assessment in (parts of) the WHO European Region.
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