Preventable deaths

JANE E. BRODY reports on The Real Risks to Children

Many parents worry that their children may be harmed by exposure to environmental factors they cannot avoid or control, including pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables, approved food additives, chlorinated drinking water and hormones in milk.

They fear electromagnetic fields as a cause of childhood leukemia, a mercury preservative in vaccines as a cause of autism, and alar, a growth stimulant on apples, as a cause of cancer.

None of these are actual hazards. But even if they were, they are hardly the main threats...

Accidents are the leading cause of death in children under 15.

They include

• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Falls
• Vehicular & pedestrian accidents
• Burns
• House fires
• Poisoning
• Drowning
• Choking
• Guns
• Electrocution
• Secondhand smoke
• Sunburn (what?)
• Sports injuries
• Power tools
• Obesity

Anyway, it's a start.