Children’s Environmental Health Network

Children’s Environmental Health Day (CEH Day) is an annual event devoted to raising awareness about children’s environmental health issues. This day gives agencies, like ours, a chance to celebrate our success and work dedicated to children’s health. This is also a day for individuals and organizations to take action to prevent potential environmental exposures that may affect children in their communities.

Children are often more vulnerable to the effects of exposure to environmental contaminants (such as lead) than adults. These environmental contaminants may cause serious health problems in children. Even low levels of exposure to some contaminants may significantly affect their physical and mental development. There are several reasons why children are at higher risk of exposure and exposure-related health effects including:

• Children eat, drink, and breathe more than adults relative to their size.
• Children frequently put objects in their mouths, explore more, and play on the floor and ground.
• Many parts of a child’s body are still rapidly developing like their brain, nervous system, immune system, and other organ systems. Some of these systems help filter pollutants from inhaled air and help process chemicals in the body.
• Health problems from an environmental exposure can take years to develop. Children have more time to develop health conditions and diseases from exposure than adults who are exposed later in their life cycle.

As our scientific understanding of children’s environmental health issues continues to evolve, so do the policies and practices designed to protect children’s health. CEH Day gives us a chance to share initiatives that communities and individuals can use to protect children from harmful environmental exposures so they can live safer, healthier lives.

We are committed to promoting the healthy development of children through our public health initiatives such as the following:

• Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education (SPACE)
• soilSHOP
• Brownfields and Land Reuse Sites
• Don’t Mess with Mercury

Our initiatives provide communities with resources to identify and reduce environmental hazards and promote a healthier environment for children. We have developed free, practical online tools to help establish programs in your community. We also provide technical support and guidance to states.

We encourage you to join our efforts to improve environmental health for our children and their futures.

Visit our sites today and use our tools to learn more about protecting the children in your community from environmental hazards.

• Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education
• SoilSHOP
• Brownfields and Land Reuse Sites
• Don’t Mess with Mercury