$76 BILLION...a year

For what, you ask? Treating children in the United States who have lead poisoning. That's a larger number than autism and cancer...COMBINED.

Lead poisoning has been directly linked to environmental toxins and pollutants in our air, food, water, soil and homes.

A study that was published in the May issue of Health Affairs found childhood healthcare costs to be:

-- Lead poisoning, $50.9 billion.

-- Autism, $7.9 billion.

-- Intellectual disability, $5.4 billion.

-- Exposure to mercury, $5.1 billion.

-- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, $5 billion.

-- Asthma, $2.2 billion.

-- Childhood cancer, $95 million.

Left unchecked, these preventable environmental factors will continue to harm the health of our children and push up healthcare costs. By updating environmental regulations and laws aimed at protecting the public's health, we can reduce the toll taken by such factors on children's health and the economy.