CEHI Projects

The Children's Environmental Health Institute is constantly developing new programs, seminars, projects, networks and ways of distributing information that will make the environment safer for children.

AAA Texas Great Battery Roundup

• 2006 AAA Great Battery Roundup
  April 17-22, 2006
• Info Sheet on Handling Batteries

Biennial Scientific Symposia on Children's Health as Impacted by Environmental Contaminants

Ensuring physicians and other professionals have access to the latest research information.

• Fourth Biennial Scientific Symposium on Children’s Health as Impacted by Environmental Contaminants – McKinney Roughs Nature Park, McKinney Roughs Nature Center, Cedar Creek, TX. Featured presentations and workshops will include the National Children’s Study, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Children’s Health & Well Being, and Children’s Health as Impacted by the Built Environment.
• The first symposium was conducted in October, 2000 at McKinney Roughs Environmental Learning Center, Austin, Texas.
• The 2002 symposium was conducted at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks City Base in San Antonio, Texas. Proceedings from the symposium are available for purchase or download and provide 11 hours of home study continuing medical education credit for physicians.
• The 2004 Biennial Symposium was conducted on September 24-25, 2004 at McKinney Roughs Environmental Learning Center, Austin, Texas.

Faith PLACES
(Protecting Life and Children’s Environmental Safety)

In an age of global environmental stress, faith communities are called to live with excellence- to be those people who chart their futures by what they can give to the next generation-not by what they can take from it. The Children's Environmental Health Institute, in partnership with the Church Facilities Center, Baptist General Convention of Texas is offering Faith PLACES to churches to reduce the unnecessary exposure of children to environmental contaminants during operation, building, and renovation of their childcare facilities. The Children’s Environmental Health Institute and the Church Facilities Center, Baptist General Convention of Texas, hope that Faith PLACES will be a gift of health to children and families.

Currently, simple, readily understandable environmental health information related to the well-being of children is limited. The Faith PLACES program includes guidelines, resource materials, discussion questions, and checklists for increasing awareness. Vince Torres, MSE, PE, CMRS, Associate Director for the Texas Institute for the Indoor Environment at The University of Texas at Austin and CEHI Board Member serves as an advisor and oversee the on-site review process. The on-site review focus is on identifying environmental risk factors in the facilities and providing recommendations for follow-up actions. Upon completion of Faith PLACES, churches will have an educational program to ensure safe and healthy environments for children where they worship play and grow.

The intersection between environmental toxins and child development is a new area of public health science. It is only in the past few years that we have begun to grasp the potential adverse health affects to children. Evidence is mounting that environmental exposures play an important role in contributing to the incidence of childhood diseases. Every day, children are exposed routinely to a wide variety of environmental pollutants. Childhood, a time of rapid growth and development, increases the potential for illness caused by exposure to environmental toxicants. Faith PLACES sends a “we care” message. It is based on a body of scientifically validated knowledge to provide educational materials and training for childcare facility staff members and church administrators.

Providing standard environmental health guidelines protects the health of children by reducing their risks to environmental contaminants where they worship, play, and grow. This perspective is growing in importance, especially as it has become recognized that indoor environmental toxins are directly related to human health. Increasingly, there will be a need for church administrators to provide effective strategies for building operation and maintenance to assure healthy environments for children.

Faith PLACES guidelines will assist church administrators to focus on critical factors that pose health risks to occupants, especially children who are most vulnerable to toxins. Routes of exposures for children, such as dermal and oral routes will be targeted since children are in direct contact with toys, flooring, furniture, and residue from cleaning products. Primary environmental quality factors include: indoor and outdoor air quality; internal and external sources of pesticides and chemical exposure; noise and lighting; renovation and repairs; operation and maintenance practices. Policy guidelines will be provided to administrators and staff.

Healthy Homes=Healthy Families

The Children’s Environmental Health Institute, with support from the St. Suzi Foundation is addressing the fundamental challenges confronting the unnecessary exposure of residents in public housing to environmental toxins. Specifically, of critical concern is the unique adverse health impacts posed to children. Environmental Health Housing Guidelines (EHHG) and a Toxic Profile Housing Inventory (TPHI), a standardized form to help managers and/or superintendents provide an inventory of toxic substances focusing on factors that pose health risks to occupants – especially children who are most vulnerable to toxins, will be available.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funds Stage II for development of the Texas Connection for Children's Environmental Health (TCCEH)

TCCEH will bring leadership of corporations and organizations representign 12 sectors together to find solutions for protecting the health of children by preventing their exposure to environmental contaminants.

MORE on TCCEH

Indoor Environmental Health for Children Forum

The Indoor Environmental Health for Children Forum was conducted at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Center for Children and Families in San Antonio on May 3, 2003. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region VI, was the primary sponsor. The forum provided a starting point for introducing the medical community in San Antonio and South Texas to the importance of addressing children's environmental health issues.

Children's Environmental Health Town Meetings

Nationwide Health Tracking Network Education Sessions

Project REAP

• Two childcare/elementary schools were introduced to the EPA program Tools for Schools.
• Five childcare facilities participated in the A is for Asthma program.
• A bilingual community forum on asthma was offered to parents and children with asthma with medical experts available to talk one-on-one with parents while children participated in an asthma education program.
• CEHI partnered with a local radio station, Catholic Charities, and the local health department to implement a non-smoking pledge drive with a live radio remote at a community music festival.

Environmental Health Perspectives includes article in the December issue on the 2004 Biennial Symposium on Children's Health as Impacted by Environmental Contaminants

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives [EHP] has included an article on the Children's Environmental Health Institute's 2004 Symposium. The article was written by symposium attendee Dr. Martha M. Dimes from the Division of Research Coordination, Planning, & Translation, Environmental Health Perspectives Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

For more articles go to: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/112-17/niehsnews.html

Environmental Health Perspectives is now an open access journal. All content is freely available to everyone online immediately after publication.

September 26, 2004
Family Fun Day at McKinney Roughs Nature Park

To highlight the Biennial Symposium on Children's Health As Impacted By Environmental Contaminants that occurred on September 24-25 and offer free events for the public at McKinney Roughs Nature Park including family hiking and presentations on keeping your children safe from environmental toxins in your home, schools and communities. Learn about FRESH CHOICES

Volunteer for the CIELO event, Maureen Britton

CEHI Executive Director, Janie Fields with grandson, William Sowell

CEHI with Cielo Wind Power and Robert Earl Keen May 17, 2003

The Children's Environmental Health Institute was hi-lighted by Cielo Wind Power during the American Wind Energy Association's annual WINDPOWER conference on May 17. Cielo Wind Power hosted a hospitality event for conference attendees and friends in Austin. Robert Earl Keen played for a packed house at Stubb's BBQ Restaurant.

The event helped raise over $1,200 for the Children's Environmental Health Institute. To view additional pictures from the event, go to Cielo's website at http://www.cielowind.com/community.htm

World Health Week: Children's Environmental Health

During the week of April 7, 2003, the World Health Organization focused on environmental causes that are killing more than 5 million children a year worldwide. In Texas, the Children's Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) focused on the use of everyday pesticides and the environmental hazards they present to children. CEHI developed a press release and fact sheets on pesticide use.

"All year around, but especially in the spring, people begin to put pesticides on the yards, gardens and in their homes. Pesticides are poisons, intended to kill living insects, rodents or plants. By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk to all living creatures, including humans," said Janie Fields, Executive Director of CEHI.

Children are more vulnerable to pesticides than adults. That's because they are small and their brains, immune system and detoxification organs are still developing. Children are naturally curious, which leads them to touch and taste everything.

The Pesticides and Children Fact Sheet

Children: Hardest Hit by Asthma and Ozone

In 1998, Texas ranked seventh in the nation in the number of cases of pediatric asthma, the most prevalent chronic disease among children in the U.S., and over two and a half million children (2,528,719) lived in counties that exceeded the 8-hour ozone standard. This is second only to California.

Physicians for Social Responsibility released Degrees of Danger: How Smarter Energy Choices Can Protect the Health of Texans. Degrees of Danger is a state-specific series that examines the public health impacts of climate change, air pollution, and fossil fuels. The Texas report also highlights the vast, but fairly untapped, potential for Texas to become a national leader in renewable energy production. CEHI Board members Dr. Fernando Guerra, Dr. Martin Lorin and Dr. Bill Shelton served as reviewers for the report. CEHI Executive Director Janie Fields also served as a reviewer.

Press events were held on June 17 in Houston, June 18 in Austin, and June 19 in San Antonio with the help of Dr. Fernando Guerra, Director of Health for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, Dr. Martin Lorin of Texas Children - s Hospital and State Representative Miguel Wise.

A copy of the report is available at www.envirohealthaction.org/upload_files/ACF2727.pdf

INDOOR HEALTH FORUM