Teaching Environmental Health
Protecting human health is an integral part of EPA's mission. EPA conducts numerous research programs throughout the world that study the effects of pollution on the human body. Research efforts include studies on how pollution affects children and people with asthma and other illnesses and how water contaminants may affect swimmers and beachgoers. Monitoring environmental quality also plays an important role in protecting human health. EPA works with state and local agencies, as well as volunteer and other citizens groups, to monitor air and water quality and to reduce human exposure to contaminants in the air, land, and water.
Teachers and parents can play an important role in teaching both children and adults about environmental health issues that can affect them. See the resources below to get started learning more about health and the environment.
For more information about Children's Environmental Health please visit our regional page.
Resources:Some of the sites listed on this page are not on the EPA Web site. Please see our disclaimer information.
For Kids:
| Learning about Radon | http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/ (PDF, 20pp, 3.22MB, About PDF Files) |
| Dusty the Asthma Goldfish | http://www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma/pdfs (PDF, 8pp, 1.29MB, About PDF Files) |
Dusty La Carpa Dorada del Asma y Sus Provocadores de Asma |
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma/pdfs/ (PDF, 8pp, 1.29MB, About PDF Files) |
Links to interactive websites that explain how the environment can affect human health |
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/scied |
Indian Health Service Native American Kids site |
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Welcome to the National Center for Environmental Health! Our work is to figure out how your environment affects your health. Most people think of nature when they think of the environment, but here, we use "environment" to mean anywhere you live, work, learn, and play. |
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Welcome to the Text Version of "ToxMystery: What's Wrong in This Room?" Use the navigation bar to explore the various rooms and learn what hazards are in each one. |
http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/ |
The National Safety Council conducts a variety of educational activities. The following pages are designed to help children learn about environmental safety and health issues. |
For Adults:
| EPA Teaching Resources - Health | |
Help Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma |
http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/ll_a (PDF, 36pp, 1.18MB, About PDF Files) |
The SunWise Program is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach the public how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-, school-, and community-based components. |
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Draft Report on the Environment: Human Health |
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Advisories are non-regulatory documents that communicate risk information to the public and to authorities who may have to make risk management decisions. The EPA administers a variety of advisory committees which consider policy issues and provide recommendations for regulatory and non-regulatory actions. Advisories are intended to serve as warning about levels of contaminants that can cause harm to human health and the environment. The EPA issues advisories on drinking water, beaches, fish and wildlife consumption and air quality. |
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More than 53 million children and about 6 million adults spend a significant portion of their days in more than 120,000 public and private school buildings. Many of these buildings are old and in poor condition, and may contain environmental conditions that inhibit learning and pose increased risks to the health of children and staff. The Schools web site is designed to provide one-stop access to the many programs and resources available to help prevent and resolve environmental issues in schools. |
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Aging Initiative: Protecting the Health of Older Americans. Welcome to EPA's website which provides an overview of our efforts to protect the health of older Americans. |
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Education outreach is a key mechanism for achieving the mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The Environmental Health Science Education website provides educators, students and scientists with easy access to reliable tools, resources and classroom materials. It seeks to invest in the future of environmental health science by increasing awareness of the link between the environment and human health. |
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The focus of NEEF's Health & Environment Program is to
advance environmental education andtraining for |
http://www.neefusa.org/health/index.htm |
| EnviroHealth Connections: EnviroHealth Connections is a gateway to multi-media resources for middle and high school students and teachers. These innovative materials help students explore the significant relationship between the environment and human health. This project brings imagination into the classroom through interactive investigations, expert presentations, comprehensive lesson plans and more. | http://www.thinkport.org/classroo m/connections/default.tp |
The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the study is to improve the health and well-being of children. |
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