She is standing tall and proud while nursing her decidedly-not-a-baby son, who is standing on a chair so he can reach her bared breast. The internet crackles with responses to the image of gorgeous Jamie Lynne Grumet on the cover of Time. The image is sure to divide moms and dads over how best to …

We know that autism is on the rise, and as parents, we are frustrated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 88 children in the US has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This is an increase of 78% since 2002. What is driving this? Genes evolve far …

Today the American Lung Association released its annual report, State of the Air 2012. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that air quality is improving in our most polluted cities, due in large part to the regulatory requirements of the Clean Air Act. The bad news, according to Janice Nolen, Assistant …

Last week, new research was posted online linking a type of air pollution to behavioral problems in children. The study, from Columbia University’s School of Public Health, followed inner city children exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a type of pollution resulting from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels like diesel, gas, and coal. Researchers measured …

I sent my daughter to school today without her bathing suit, even though today is a swim day for her. And I forgot to remind the kids to pack their library books. Well, ok, there’s more: I had to buy a new Metrocard yesterday when I couldn’t find mine on the way home from work. …

Some air pollution is easy to see. When a truck roars down my urban street, I can see the coarse particles in soot as a black puff from the tailpipe. Those particles visibly settle on my potted porch plants, drift in my door, and get inhaled by my kids. It’s not pretty, and I’m not …

We’ve got our menorah out, our dreidels ready, and little bags of foil covered chocolate coins. My daughter has been practicing her Hanukkah songs on the piano, and we are wrapping little presents. We’ve had several rounds of potato latkes already, and Hanukkah has only just started. It’s a fun, warm, bright time of year. …

On a Saturday last month, people all over the world got together for a climate action day – a day to express our deep concern about climate change, and to insist that governments and citizens everywhere, take action to reduce the amount of carbon in our atmosphere. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network asked the Moms …

Asthma is only one of many health problems related to air pollution. But it’s a big one. According to statistics compiled by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, approximately 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma; 9 million of those are children under 18. Asthma is responsible for 13 million missed school days …

While researching my blog series on mercury, I kept reading about “mixed results” of epidemiological research on mercury, with the implication that we can’t be sure whether methylmercury exposure from eating fish is harming children. I decided to get to the bottom of this and some other questions by talking with Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician …