EPA Celebrates Children's Health Month

This October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honors Children’s Health Month by emphasizing the critical importance of safeguarding children, especially those in vulnerable populations, from environmental threats in the places they live, learn, and play.

“Science shows that children are impacted by pollution and long-term environmental challenges like climate change the most,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “As we observe Children’s Health Month, I am proud to reaffirm EPA’s commitment to protecting our children’s health and securing cleaner air, water, and land for future generations.”

Early exposure to environmental pollutants can have lifelong health implications. Children’s developing bodily systems are more sensitive to pollutants and their unique behaviors can often expose them more to environmental hazards. EPA recognizes that children, especially those in under-resourced communities, are often the most vulnerable to environmental harm.

In recent months, EPA has advanced programs to protect children’s health through a variety of actions, including:

• A proposal to strengthen lead paint standards will protect against childhood lead exposure.
• A new EPA report quantifies the projected health effects associated with extreme heat, air quality, changing seasons, flooding, and infectious diseases, and considers the extent to which these risks disproportionally fall on children from overburdened populations.
• New EPA updates to America’s Children and the Environment (ACE) provide trends and statistics to evaluate progress towards children’s environmental health goals.
• The establishment of the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council provides an opportunity for young people between the ages of 16 and 29 to provide independent advice and recommendations to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan on a range of topics that impact their personal and community health and well-being.

The Biden-Harris administration recognizes the crucial role environmental health protection plays in helping our children live healthy lives so they can reach their highest potential. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is helping build a future where all children can breathe cleaner air, drink clean water, and live in healthy neighborhoods through historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Highlights from EPA’s critical investments in children’s health include:

• Funding clean school buses that reduce pollution, save money, and protect health: Thanks to a $5B investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is transforming school bus fleets across the nation, while passing on cost savings to districts, improving air quality and reducing climate pollution. Just last week, EPA announced the availability of at least $500M in funding from the Clean School Bus rebate competition that is transforming school bus fleets across America and protecting children from air pollution. This second round of funding will build on the previous nearly $1B investment to further improve air quality in and around schools, reduce greenhouse gas pollution fueling the climate crisis, and help accelerate America’s leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future.
• Removing lead in schools and childcare facilities: EPA has announced $58M in funding to replace millions of lead piping to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities. Because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, activities that remove sources of lead in drinking water are now, for the first time, eligible to receive funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), furthering the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to deliver clean water for all communities, especially children in historically marginalized and low-income communities. This funding can be used to test for lead in drinking water, identify potential sources, and remove those sources to better protect our nation’s children.
• Addressing air pollution in schools: Up to $37.5M for grants and other activities from the Inflation Reduction Act will be on the way this December to help monitor and reduce indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA will provide grants to help K-12 schools and school districts serving low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities, to address environmental issues, develop school environmental quality plans, mitigate ongoing air pollution hazards, and improve health and safety for students and staff.

Join us in a celebration of Children’s Health Month. Get involved this October and learn more about children’s environmental health.