Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
This website is for residents of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Virginia. If you are a resident of another state, contact Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU).
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (MACCHE) provides consultation and education to families and health providers about kids and environmental hazards.
The Center’s clinicians specialize in children’s and reproductive environmental health. Our team includes a certified nurse midwife, pediatric nurse practitioner, and public health nurse, and consultation with medical toxicologists.
Contact us if you are pregnant and concerned about environmental exposures or if you suspect a child is experiencing health problems from exposure to environmental pollutants such as:
- Indoor air pollution – mold, formaldehyde-laden building materials, asbestos, sick building issues, and asthma triggers
- Outdoor air pollution – asthma triggers and air pollutants including:air borne toxins, chemical waste, exhaust and fumes, carbon monoxide
- Water pollution – toxic bacteria, lead, PFAS
- Farming and lawn pollutants – fertilizers, pesticides
- Work-related exposure (for parents and employed teens) – solvents, chemicals, lead, sick building issues
- Other toxic exposures – mercury, lead, arsenic, solvents, hazardous waste
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (MACCHE) is one of ten Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) in the US, serving residents in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. MACCHE is the Region 3 PEHSU and is supported by the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University.
Resources
The following websites provide accurate information about specific reproductive and children’s environmental health concerns:
- NASEM Report on PFAS Exposure, Testing and Clinical Follow-up
- Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU.net)
- Philadelphia Regional Center for Children's Health
- Nemours KidsHealth
- Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)
- American Public Health Association - Environmental Health page
- American Public Health Association - Children's Environmental Health page
- Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN)
- Childhood Cancer and the Environment Program
The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) are supported by cooperative agreement FAIN: NU61TS000356 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also provides support through Inter-Agency Agreement 24TSS2400078 with CDC/ATSDR. The Public Health Institute supports the PEHSU as the National Program Office. The content on this website has not been formally disseminated by CDC/ATSDR or the EPA and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy. Use of trade names that may be mentioned is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the CDC/ATSDR or EPA.