Children's Environmental Health Research Center

Children's Environmental Health Research Center

Studying how chemicals affect children's brains

The Children's Environmental Health Research Center studies how exposure to certain chemicals, including phthalates and bisphenol A, or BPA, affect the developing brain.

A baby, wearing a eye-tracking sticker  that looks like a target between her eyes, looks at a screen as a part of IKIDS research.
A mom holds a baby while talking to an IKIDS researcher. A baby toy sits in the foreground.

Members of the group work with infants and their mothers to determine whether prenatal exposure to phthalates and other common chemicals leads to changes in their brain or behavior. This project is called the Illinois Kids Development Project, or IKIDS.

The group also conducts research on older children and animals to understand how chemicals affect behavior and reproductive health.

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