Child Health

Different types of children's toys

In This Season of Giving, Watch Out for Harmful Chemicals in Plastic Toys

Q&A with Olivier Jolliet and Lei Huang

Whether it's a baby Yoda, a plastic building brick or a fashion doll, all toys contain chemicals that give them desired properties: the right hardiness or elasticity, bright colors and fragrances. But these chemicals could also come with health risks, says Olivier Jolliet, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Parent and child talking in the kitchen

Conversation with Parents on Race Can Improve Black Adolescents' Mental Health

Q&A with Riana Elyse Anderson

Black parents' experiences of racial discrimination can negatively affect their children's psychological outcomes—but talking about these experiences and improving racial socialization competency could help prevent these negative outcomes, according to a new study by a University of Michigan researcher.

A closeup of baby feet.

Widely Used Herbicide Linked to Preterm Births

New research from John Meeker

Exposure to a chemical found in the weed killer Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides is significantly associated with preterm births, according to a new University of Michigan study.