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Pesticides
Children are exposed to harmful pesticides from residues on
food, contaminants in water and pesticides applied in schools,
on playgrounds and on athletic fields. Successful alternatives
can minimize the use of chemicals, and EPA is educating citizens
about these alternatives through consumer education and clearer
label instructions. The EPA New England Pesticides
Program is also working with community groups to develop
programs to educate residents on the safe use of pesticides.
Air
Quality Alerts
Air pollution causes lung and other respiratory diseases and
threatens the health of our children. Every summer, New England
suffers from dozens of days with unhealthy air. EPA New England
gives Smog
Alerts, hot weather reports on air quality to the public
through the media and through electronic messages to 1,000
camps, daycare centers and individuals. Tighter air pollution
laws have resulted in significant improvements. A decade ago,
New England suffered nearly three times as many days as today
with poor air quality. Changes in regulations continue to
make improvements. Recently, EPA proposed tougher emission
standards for heavy-duty vehicles that would significantly
reduce smog-causing emissions from trucks and buses.
Air monitors in Boston and Portland, Maine, evaluate air
toxics, ozone and fine particles in urban environments and
give real time air quality statistics back to the public through
a web page. In Portland
 ,
technology funded by EPA measures air toxics in a congested
area. In Boston ,
monitors that work 24 hours a day have been established in
two dense urban neighborhoods where children suffer from high
asthma and lead poisoning rates. Students from a nearby high
school raise colored flags to alert people to the air quality.
Mercury
About one in four children nationally is exposed to mercury
at unsafe levels. Mercury exposure may lead to irreversible
neurological effects. Most of these children are exposed because
their mothers were not aware during pregnancy of the dangers
of eating fish contaminated with mercury. Across New England,
more than 80 percent of the inland waters have fish too polluted
with mercury to eat. EPA is working to reduce the presence
of mercury in the environment, through such programs as Partners
for Change Mercury Challenge, which has encouraged hospitals
to reduce mercury waste entirely by the year 2003. The program
has already eliminated hundreds of pounds of mercury from
New England's environment. One mercury thermometer can contaminate
up to 25,000 gallons of water to beyond the drinking water
standard. EPA New England is also teaching parents about the
dangers of mercury.
Vacant Lots
Empty lots are a significant risk to children in urban areas
because of illegal
dumping of waste that may include lead and arsenic. In
Providence, home to 4,000 vacant and abandoned lots, EPA works
with local officials and community groups to sample and transfer
these lots to local residents for the cost of one dollar.
Through this model program, Livable Providence ,
urban eyesores are turned into flower gardens, parks and open
spaces for the community's enjoyment. EPA New England's Urban Environmental Program provides links to recommended web
sites related to vacant lots.
Smart
Growth
EPA New England helps communities grow in ways that use less
land and natural resources and that encourage walkable, safe
neighborhoods. EPA educates local officials on how to plan
for development in ways that benefit the community, such as
slowing traffic on neighborhood streets so that they are safer
for kids to walk and bike. EPA has helped fund a program in
the state of the Maine that shows developers and municipalities
the market for what they call the Great American Neighborhood,
characterized by such features as walkability, distinct neighborhood
boundaries, protection from excessive traffic and noise and
a mixture of homes and services that residents can use. Kids
growing up in such a neighborhood can walk or bike safely
and get exercise while learning to be independent, instead
of relying on adults to drive them everywhere they need to
go. And across New England, EPA is helping communities make
smart decisions about where to locate schools, playgrounds
and parks, ensuring that children are not exposed to environmental
risks in the neighborhood.
Hazardous Waste Sites
About one in four children in the United States lives within
4 miles of a hazardous waste site, according to the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). ATSDR,
along with EPA, handles public health issues related to Superfund sites and warns that children who live near hazardous waste
sites often have greater exposures, greater potential for
health problems, and less ability to avoid hazards. These
differences demand special emphasis in communities near hazardous
waste sites. ATSDR has created a special home page to highlight
its Child Health
Initiative and related activities.
Sunwise
Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause serious
health effects, including skin cancer and other skin disorders,
eye damage and cataracts, and immune system suppression. One
in five Americans develops skin cancer. Every hour one person
dies from this disease. The incidence of melanoma, the most
serious type of skin cancer, is increasing faster than almost
every other form of cancer. Most of the average person's lifetime
sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. Boston was one of
three pilot cities for a national EPA program teaching children
the dangers of UV ray exposure from the sun. EPA New England
distributes information to parents, teachers, recreation directors
and camp counselors so caretakers are aware of and can help
children avoid these harmful rays.
Fish Smart Campaign at New Bedford Harbor
Eating large amounts of fish or shell fish contaminated with PCBs may cause adverse health effects. Click here for PCB facts, a fisherman's guide, and tips on healthy fish consumption. |
