Child labor and health: problems and perspectives.

Child labor remains a widespread problem. Although it can have positive effects, in some situations it has negative effects on health and development of the children. Although mainly a problem in developing countries, it is also possible to find child workers, some working in hazardous activities, in developed countries. The authors describe the child labor profiles in developed and developing countries, the principal occupations of children, and their concomitant hazards. They summarize the epidemiologic evidence for a greater impact of some occupational exposures on the health of children as compared with adults, and the theoretical concerns about the impact of child labor on health, and suggest policies that can be used to combat harmful child labor.