Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks

To support efforts by organizations; educational institutions; and/or State, local, and tribal governmental agencies to establish or enhance their ability to take actions that will reduce environmental risks to the health of children. Since 1997, when the Office of Children’s Health Protection was established, EPA has focused on children’s health protection, undertaking a variety of efforts to improve the environments where children live, learn and play. EPA has sponsored research to evaluate the impacts of environmental exposures on children’s health, ensured that children’s health protection is a key component of our risk assessments and regulatory decision-making, and supported efforts to promote the measurement and tracking of environmental health disparities. EPA has launched projects to improve school environments, promote healthy homes, address indoor and outdoor air quality, and reduce children’s exposures to chemicals, pesticides, and radiation. EPA has developed tools to enable citizens, communities, governmental and non-governmental agencies to take steps toward protecting children from environmental health threats. EPA has worked with healthcare providers to identify, prevent and reduce environmental threat to children. EPA has also provided international leadership in the protection of children worldwide. EPA’s partnerships with other federal agencies; state and local governments; tribes; nongovernmental organizations; healthcare providers; academia; and others are essential to achieving our children’s health protection goals. It is only through our combined efforts that we can achieve the goals of making the health protection of children a fundamental goal of public health and environmental protection.