Prevalence of Soil Mouthing/Ingestion among Healthy Children Aged 1 to 6

Ingestion of non-food items/mouthing behavior results in exposure of children to contaminants in soil/dust. We characterize the prevalence of such behaviors in healthy children. The relative frequency of such behaviors was assessed by parent interviews for 533 children age 1 to 6. Thirty-eight percent of children put soil in their mouths at least monthly, 24% at least weekly, and 11% daily. High-risk behavior decreased quickly for children aged 2 or more, but was still reported at least monthly by 3 to 9% of parents of children up through age 6. Highest outdoor object mouthing rates occur among 1-year-old children, who are reported to play daily in sand/dirt and have generally high levels of mouthing. Such children may have higher soil/dust ingestion and higher exposure to contaminants when soil/dust contains lead or other agents. These high-risk groups may help focus educational interventions and/or risk assessments.