Doctors, nurses and other health care providers are making observational associations that individuals with existing disabilities or those who may be medically fragile are susceptible to adverse effects from toxic exposures than the general population. Because of this, the American Association on Mental Retardation has launched an Environmental Health Initiative to help raise awareness about these issues for the developmental disabilities community. With this article, the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) is launching a three part series on environmental health issues, developed by its Environmental Health Initiative members, to raise awareness about the connections between toxic exposures and developmental disabilities (DD) and the special concerns of the DD community with regarding environmental threats. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) estimates that twenty-five percent of developmental and neurological deficits in children are due to the interplay between chemicals and genetic factors, and that three percent are caused by exposure to chemicals alone. Among the toxic contaminants found in foods and identified in this article as placing children at risk are mercury, often found in fish, and pesticide residues, found in fruits and vegetables.