National Healthy Schools Day is April 6, 2021 with the theme – Build Back Better: Clean Air in Every School

A Year of Indoor Air Quality

As we begin this new decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds you to pay attention to your indoor air quality. Use the link to explore the topics and observances that EPA’s Indoor Environments Division emphasizes throughout the year.

The Children’s Environmental Health Institute is pleased to announce its partnership with the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.  A multidisciplinary team consisting of experts in children’s health, indoor air quality, microbiology, building science and community-engaged research will address how environmental conditions affect students’ health, attendance, and learning in high school, and how to offer low-cost, long-term solutions to help schools combat those affects.

Children’s Environmental Health Institute launched a social media campaign aimed at bringing awareness of environmental health risks in schools.   www.HealthyChildrenNow.org

Healthy High School PRIDE (Partnership in Research on InDoor Environments)   

The Healthy High School PRIDE,  (Partnership in Research on InDoor Environments), research was motivated by mounting scientific evidence that poor indoor air quality and inadequate classroom ventilation contribute to student illness and therefore absenteeism and decreases in academic performance.  “Our children and teachers spend a substantial amount of their lives inside school buildings,” said air quality expert Richard L. Corsi, Chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. “We believe it is critical to gain a better understanding of this environment and its implications for health and learning,and we hope the solutions we create will be applied in schools across the country, giving our children a better environment for academic success.”

The UT Austin project identified common sources of indoor air quality problems in schools, such as poor ventilation, HVAC structural issues, and the presence of bacteria and chemical irritants. Visit www.HealthyChildrenNow.org for the social media campaign and resources for school health.

What are we doing to our children’s
brains?

Environmental chemicals are wreaking havoc to last a lifetime

The numbers are startling. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.8 million more children in the U.S. were diagnosed with developmental disabilities between 2006 and 2008 than a decade earlier. During this time, the prevalence of autism climbed nearly 300 percent, while that of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increased 33 percent. CDC figures also show that 10 to 15 percent of all babies born in the U.S. have some type of neurobehavorial development disorder. Still more are affected by neurological disorders that don’t rise to the level of clinical diagnosis.  READ ARTICLE

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Endocrine Society scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals

In the Scientific Statement released by the Endocrine Society, Dr. Andrea Gore, Professor and Vacek Chair of Pharmacology, The University of Texas at Austin, and Editor-in-Chief, of Endocrinology, stated “There is more conclusive evidence than ever before regarding how EDCs interfere with hormones and how that affects human health.”

The research offers insights into factors driving the rising rates of obesity and diabetes. About 35 percent of American adults are obese, and more than 29 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Society’s Endocrine Facts and Figures report.

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Project TENDR: A Consensus Statement to Prevent Neurodevelopmental Harm from Environmental Chemicals

A new alliance of leading scientists, medical experts, and children’s health advocates, including TEDX, are calling for immediate action to address the growing problem of neurodevelopmental disorders attributable to toxic chemical exposure.We believe the increasing risk of children having intellectual and learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficits, hyperactivity, and other maladaptive behaviors is unacceptable.

There is ample scientific evidence to support a link between children’s risks for neurodevelopmental disorders and toxic chemicals in consumer products, food, air and water. Prime examples include certain pesticides, flame retardants, combustion related air pollutants, lead, mercury and PCBs.Project TENDR, which stands for “Targeting Environmental Neuro-Developmental Risks,” is calling for immediate government action to reduce sources of exposure – by requiring removal of neurotoxic chemicals from food and consumer products, cleaning up environmental sources, and regulating industrial processes. Go to the Project TENDR website to read the published consensus statement, see authors, supporting organizations and societies, read chemical and pollutant summaries, and learn what individuals can do to protect their families.  (Courtesy of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Inc.)

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Picture the Children Photo Exhibit

The Children and Nature Photo Exhibit was photographed by acclaimed international social photographer Bear Guerra. 

The Children and Their Food Photo Exhibit, was photographed by local photographers and sponsored by the Whole Kids Foundation

Picture the Children, of the Children’s Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) is an approach to evoke an emotional experience for the viewers to envision the unique relationship children experience in their environment and the impact on their well-being. The images document the joy, discovery and positive health outcomes children experience in natural and healthy environments.

To view the Picture the Children: Children in Nature Photo Exhibit by Roberto “Bear Guerra” go to https://bearguerra.com/children-in-nature/.