Microplastics: Erosion of Convenience

kristiet_a0o04rjz on October 29, 2024

Microplastics: Erosion of Convenience

By Jessica Mauricio Price, MS, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

October 2024

Walking through my local “Have-Everything Mart,” I try to take stock of the number of items made of plastic. I quickly realize that the task is nonsensical. Passing by the plastic pools, inner tubes, pitchers, cups, and toys (all in the same aisle), I acknowledge that I am in over my head. And that doesn’t even count the plastic packaging around these items! It is easy to see just how pervasive plastic is in our society. But what about the plastics that we can’t see?

The harder-to-see plastics are known as nanoplastics or microplastics. The difference between nanoplastics and microplastics lies primarily in their size. Microplastics are plastic particles with a size less than 5 millimeters (mm). Nanoplastics are plastic materials less than 0.001 mm to 1 nanometer (nm). For a frame of reference, a pencil eraser is about 5 mm, and a strand of human hair is about 0.04 mm wide. So, some nanoplastics range from 1/40th to 1/40000th the size of a strand of hair!

In general, there are two different categories of microplastics.

Primary microplastics are small plastic pellets. These pellets are created and used for consumer products. They are added to different products, like facial scrubs, toothpaste, glitter, or makeup, to name a few.
Secondary microplastics are larger pieces of plastics that enter the environment and break down. So plastic bags, tires, water bottles, fabrics, furnishings, and the many other plastic products we use daily. These items slowly disintegrate by heat, wind, and daily use.

All microplastics can eventually break down into nanoplastics. Unfortunately, plastic doesn’t ever decompose completely. It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time that continue to exist in the environment. As plastics get smaller and smaller, it becomes easier for them to move around the environment. Microplastics have been found in water sources, soil, plants, and animals. They are even found in our bodies. The study of microplastics is still relatively new. Scientists aren’t quite sure about the health effects that may occur due to our unintentional eating, breathing in, and drinking of microplastics. However, it appears likely that they will do some harm; scientists just aren’t certain of the extent.

We aren’t going to be able to avoid microplastics or nanoplastics entirely. However, there are steps that we can take to reduce the amount of plastics that child care workers, children, and their families come into contact with.

Take stock of the plastic that you see around you. Be mindful of what plastic you purchase. Reduce the amount of single-use plastics that you use (ie., disposable cutlery, slider storage bags, beverage bottles, and plastic plates and cups).
When you can, purchase unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and meats. When food is processed, plastic residue is introduced into the food through the manufacturing process.
Use reusable bottles. During the production of disposable water bottles, chemicals are incorporated into the plastic. For example, phthalates are added to increase the flexibility of the bottles.These chemicals are released into the water especially if the water bottle is exposed to sunlight and heat. Stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bottles are a safer choice.
Avoid personal hygiene products with microbeads–found in personal care products, cosmetics, face washes, and more
Avoid using glitter as it is a microplastic that often travels into landfills and waterways.
Find places near you to recycle plastic bottles and single-use grocery bags.
Bring reusable bags when you go shopping.
Buy items with less plastic packaging.
Use paper straws, bamboo cutlery, and compostable paper plates.
Bring your own container for leftovers when you go out to eat.
Support plastic reduction policies in your region.

These actions can help reduce the amount of microplastics and nanoplastics that you come into contact with. But major structural changes need to be made in order for us to turn the tide on the plastic wave in the future. The European Union has restricted microplastics intentionally added to products. Here in America over 500 cities and 28 states had plastic bag legislation in effect as of 2021. 12 states even have single-use plastic bag bans! Companies are looking to make products out of bioplastics. Bioplastics are polymers made from plants, wood chips, and food waste, instead of fossil fuels. Research on bioplastics is ongoing.

While reducing the production and altering the way we use plastics will help, it doesn’t remove what is already in our environment. Thankfully scientists are already working hard to combat this issue! A group of scientists are transforming standard egg-white proteins into a complex filter in order to remove microplastics from seawater.

We, as a society, have more work to do. We all want comfortable lives. But, we need to take steps to be more sustainable. In the end, we’re trying to do our best. No one is perfect! If each of us can start making small steps to change how we use plastic we can collectively make a difference. We owe that to ourselves and the kiddos that rely on us.

Oh Me Oh My Melamine: Tips to Reduce Chemical Leaching from Plastic Plates

kristiet_a0o04rjz on October 29, 2024

Oh Me Oh My Melamine: Tips to Reduce Chemical Leaching from Plastic Plates

By Jessica Mauricio Price, MS, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

October 2024

Melamine is a man-made chemical used in various products. It is frequently used in children’s tableware and is a form of durable plastic resin. It does appear that melamine is useful, but is it safe? With certain precautions, melamine tableware can be safely used until preferable alternative options can be purchased. As with any plastic product, care must be taken to ensure that chemicals do not move, or leach, from the tableware to food or drinks. Here are some ways that you can reduce the amount of chemicals that may travel from your tableware into food or drinks:

Never heat any type of plastic in a microwave oven or convection oven. When a plate or cup says it is microwave-safe, it does not mean it is safe for you. It simply means the plate or cup will not melt in the microwave (i.e., it is safe for the microwave). Heating plastic or melamine plates will increase the amount of chemicals that leach into your food or beverage. Heat damages the polymer matrix that is used in plastic tableware. This will cause more chemicals to be released over time.
Avoid putting hot foods or liquids in plastic or melamine tableware. Placing piping hot foods on this tableware will also increase the chemicals that can migrate into your food or beverage.
Avoid putting acidic food or liquids into plastic or melamine tableware. Some types of acidic foods include tomato-based dishes and citrus juices.
Do not wash any plastic in the dishwasher. Over time, heating plastic will damage it and make it easier for chemicals to leech from tableware and into food. Also, avoid using UV sterilization on this type of tableware.
Recycle or discard plastic or melamine tableware when scratched, chipped, or warped. Once the polymers break down due to use, more chemicals will leach out. Take this opportunity to purchase safer children’s tableware options. Safer tableware choices include stainless steel, ceramics, and glass items. However, be wary of vintage ceramic pottery and glass dishes, as some may have lead paint on them.

When used with these considerations, the likelihood that chemicals will move into food at levels above known health-effect limits can be lowered. If you care for a child with kidney function issues, it is especially important to follow these recommendations, or better yet, replace your plates with stainless steel (or glass and ceramics when the plate-throwing phase is over!).

Children are often exposed to many more chemicals per pound of body weight as compared to adults. Children eat more food, drink more liquids, and breathe more air than adults. Doing what you can to reduce children’s exposure to chemicals is beneficial and proactive. Every little step you take to protect children today will help them grow into happier and healthier adults.

If you found this information helpful, please donate to Children’s Environmental Health Network so we can continue to provide caretakers with scientific yet easy-to-read content.

Protecting Children and Child Care Providers from Lead in Water Hazards

kristiet_a0o04rjz on December 7, 2023

Protecting Children and Child Care Providers from Lead in Water Hazards

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

January 2024

In November 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed strengthening the federal Lead and Copper Rule as a strategy to protect communities from lead in drinking water.

Lead is Harmful to Children’s Health

Lead can be absorbed (“leached”) into drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead service lines, lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures.

There is no safe level of lead for children. Children are at high risk because their bodies are still developing, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to lead’s harmful effects. These effects, including brain damage and loss of IQ, occur at low levels of exposure to lead sources often found in homes and child care facilities.

What is a Lead Service Line?

The pipe connecting the water main to the interior plumbing in a building (e.g. home or child care facility) is called a lead service line. These pipes were often made of lead. The U.S. Congress banned the use of lead pipes in 1986.

Environmental Justice Concerns

Communities that are majority low-income, Black, Brown, or Indigenous have higher rates of children with lead poisoning. This is due to U.S. racist housing policies (e.g., redlining), which lead to Black, Brown, Indigenous, or low-income families living in older housing which is more likely to have lead service lines or other lead-containing pipes.

Key Updates to the Lead and Copper Rule

Under the updated Lead and Copper Rule, the EPA is proposing to:

achieve 100% lead pipe replacement within 10 years;
locate legacy lead pipes (pipes that were installed prior to the ban on lead) in communities throughout the U.S.;
lower the Lead Action Level from 15 to 10 parts per billion; and
require water utilities to bear the cost of the lead service line (LSL) replacements.

Proposed Updates are a Good Start

Under the proposed Lead and Copper Rule, all water utilities would be required to regularly update their inventories, create a publicly available service line replacement plan, and identify the materials of all service lines of unknown material.

EPA would also lower the lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L. When a water system’s lead sampling exceeds the action level, the system would be required to inform the public and take action to reduce lead exposure while simultaneously working to replace all lead pipes. Lowering the lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L is more health protective. However, it is important to note that public health, community and environmental groups were advocating for an even lower standard (e.g., 1 µg/L). Ample research confirms there is no safe level of lead exposure.

While EPA is requiring that water utilities cover the cost of the 100% lead service line replacements (LSLs) in 10 years, they do not mandate utilities cover the cost of replacing the portion of lead lines on private property.

We know that replacing the full LSLs– including both the portion of the pipe that is on public and private property- is important for protecting communities from exposure to lead in water. Research into partial LSL replacement (e.g., replacing only the public portion of the line/pipe) demonstrates increased release of lead into drinking water due to disturbance of lead service lines. These lead particulates may enter directly into the water communities drink or become trapped in the faucet aerator and release lead over time.

EPA’s Process for Finalizing a Regulation

Before EPA finalizes a regulation, it publishes a proposed rule. EPA is sharing the proposed Lead and Copper rule with the public to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders – from drinking water consumers to water systems to public health professionals – to share their feedback. The public will have an opportunity to comment and weigh in on the proposed Lead and Copper rule once it is formally published in the federal register which will occur in the beginning of 2024.

Child care providers can learn more about reducing lead in water exposures in the FREE Lead-Safe Toolkit, available in English and Spanish.

Proteger a los niños y los proveedores de cuidado infantil contra los peligros del plomo en el agua

En noviembre de 2023, la Environmental Protection Agency EPA (Agencia de Protección Ambiental) propuso fortalecer la norma federal de plomo y cobro como estrategia para proteger a las comunidades del plomo en el agua potable.

El plomo es perjudicial para la salud infantil

El plomo puede absorberse (“inflirtarse”) en el agua potable cuando los materiales de plomería que contienen plomo se corroen. Las fuentes más comunes de plomo en el agua potable son las líneas de servicio de plomo, tuberías de plomo, grifos y accesorios.

No existe un nivel seguro de plomo para los niños. Los niños corren un alto riesgo porque sus cuerpos aún se están desarrollando y su cerebro y sistema nervioso son más sensibles a los efectos perjudicales del plomo. Estos efectos, incluido el daño cerebral y la pérdida del coeficiente intelectual, ocurren con niveles bajos de exposición a fuentes de plomo que a menudo se encuentran en hogares y entornos de cuidado infantil.

¿Qué es una línea de servicio de plomo?

La tubería que conecta la tubería principal de agua con las tuberías interiores de un edificio (por ejemplo, una casa o un entorno de cuidado infantil) se llama línea de servicio de plomo. Estas tuberías solían estar hechas de plomo. El Congreso de Estados Unidos prohibió el uso de tuberías de plomo en 1986.

Preocupación por la justicia medioambiental

Las comunidades que son mayoritariamente de bajos ingresos, negras, marrones o indígenas tienen tasas más altas de niños con envenenamiento por plomo. Esto se debe a las políticas de vivienda racistas de los EE. UU. (por ejemplo, líneas rojas), que llevan a que familias negras, marrones, indígenas o de bajos ingresos vivan en viviendas antiguas que tienen más probabilidades de tener líneas de servicio de plomo u otras tuberías que contienen plomo.

Actualizaciones a la norma de plomo y cobre

Bajo la Norma actualizada de plomo y cobre, la EPA propone:

lograr Reemplazo del 100% de las tuberías de plomo en un plazo de 10 años;
localizar tuberías de plomo heredadas (tuberías que se instalaron antes de la prohibición del plomo) en comunidades de todo Estados Unidos;
bajar el nivel de acción del plomo de 15 a 10 partes por billón; y
exigir que las empresas de agua asuman el costo de los reemplazos de la línea de servicio de plomo.

Las actualizaciones propuestas son un buen comienzo

Según la Norma de plomo y cobre propuesta, todas las empresas de agua deberían actualizar periódicamente sus inventarios, crear un plan de reemplazo de líneas de servicio disponible públicamente e identificar los materiales de todas las líneas de servicio de material desconocido.

La EPA también reduciría el nivel de acción contra el plomo de 15 µg/L a 10 µg/L. Cuando el muestreo de plomo de un sistema de agua excede el nivel de acción, el sistema deberá informar al público y tomar medidas para reducir la exposición al plomo mientras trabaja simultáneamente para reemplazar todas las tuberías de plomo. Reducir el nivel de acción del plomo de 15 µg/L a 10 µg/L protege más la salud. Sin embargo, es importante señalar que los grupos de salud pública, comunitarios y ambientalistas abogaban por un estándar aún más bajo (por ejemplo, 1 µg/L). Amplias investigaciones confirman que no existe un nivel seguro de exposición al plomo.

Aunque la EPA exige que las empresas de agua cubran el costo de los reemplazos del 100% de las líneas de servicio (LSL) en 10 años, no exigen que las empresas de servicios públicos cubran el costo de reemplazar la parte de las líneas de servicio de plomo en propiedad privada.

Sabemos que reemplazar los LSL completos, incluida la parte de la tubería que se encuentra en propiedad pública y privada, es importante para proteger a las comunidades de la exposición al plomo en el agua. La investigación sobre el reemplazo parcial de LSL (por ejemplo, reemplazar solo la parte pública de la línea/tubería) demuestra un aumento de la liberación de plomo en el agua potable debido a la alteración de las líneas de servicio de plomo. Estas partículas de plomo pueden ingresar directamente al agua que beben las comunidades o quedar atrapadas en el aireador del grifo y liberar plomo con el tiempo.

Proceso de la EPA para finalizar un reglamento

Antes de finalizar un reglamento, la EPA publica una propuesta de reglamento. La EPA está compartiendo la norma propuesta sobre plomo y cobre con el público para brindar una oportunidad a todas las partes interesadas (desde los consumidores de agua potable hasta los sistemas de agua y los profesionales de la salud pública) de compartir sus comentarios. El público tendrá la oportunidad de comentar y opinar sobre la norma propuesta sobre el plomo y cobre una vez que se publique formalmente en el registro federal, lo que ocurrirá a principios de 2024.

Kit de herramientas para evitar el plomo, disponible en inglés y español.

Los proveedores de cuidado infantil pueden obtener más información sobre cómo reducir la exposición al plomo en el agua en la guía GRATUITA Kit de herramientas para evitar el plomo, disponible en inglés y español.

Choosing Safe Locations for Child Care Facilities

kristiet_a0o04rjz on October 31, 2022

Choosing Safe Locations for Child Care Facilities

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

November 2022

The location of a child care facility or the condition of the building can impact the health of the children and staff who occupy the space.

Children can be exposed to harmful chemicals in the air they breathe, the water they drink, or the soil they touch. The location—or site—of a child care facility can affect the types and amounts of environmental exposures children in the program may be exposed to. For example, a child care facility could be near or close to a gas station, dry cleaner, nail salon, funeral home, or housed within a formerly polluted industrial building, all of which can increase exposure to harmful chemicals. Children are at greater risk of exposure to environmental hazards because of their developing bodies and behaviors.

Eco-Healthy Child Care®’s Safe Siting Work

To encourage more states to develop and adopt best practices for preventing exposures to environmental hazards in child care settings, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, created the Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education program. The program’s goal is to ensure child care facilities are located in safe locations – away from sites with environmental contamination or polluting industries.

In 2017, in partnership with the Environmental Law Institute and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, EHCC began providing capacity-building support to state health departments as they created and implemented safe siting programs in their states.

In 2022, EHCC held small group calls with participating health departments to improve communication between states and promote the sustainability of their safe siting programs. Two new resources were also created to highlight states’ work to protect children’s health, 1) New Hampshire’s partnerships with local health departments and 2) Massachusetts’s environmental justice activities were featured.

Tips for Child Care Providers– Choosing Safe Locations

Contact your local or state public health department to find out if pesticides, lead, mercury, volatile organic compounds, or other environmental hazards might be a concern in the building or location of the potential child care facility.
Get in touch with your state Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education Program.*
Take the Protecting Children’s Environmental Health e-course to learn more about how environmental hazards impact children’s health.

*Not all states have safe siting programs.

Elección de ubicaciones seguras para las instalaciones de cuidado infantil

La ubicación de una instalación de cuidado infantil o la condición del edificio pueden afectar la salud de los niños y el personal que ocupa el espacio.

Los niños pueden estar expuestos a sustancias químicas nocivas en el aire que respiran, el agua que beben o la tierra que tocan. La ubicación, o sitio, de una instalación de cuidado infantil puede afectar los tipos y cantidades de exposiciones ambientales a las que pueden estar expuestos los niños en el programa. Por ejemplo, una instalación de cuidado infantil podría estar cerca de una gasolinera, tintorería, salón de uñas, funeraria o dentro de un edificio industrial anteriormente contaminado, todo lo cual puede aumentar la exposición a químicos dañinos. Los niños corren un mayor riesgo de exposición a peligros ambientales debido a sus cuerpos y comportamientos en desarrollo.

Trabajo de ubicación segura de Eco-Healthy Child Care®

Para animar a más estados a desarrollar y adoptar las mejores prácticas para prevenir la exposición a peligros ambientales en instalaciónes de cuidado infantil, la Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (Agencia para sustancias tóxicas y registro de enfermedades), una rama de los Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centros para el control y prevención), creó el programa Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education Program (Elija lugares seguros para el cuidado y la educación temprana). El objetivo del programa es garantizar que las instalaciones de cuidado infantil estén ubicadas en lugares seguros, lejos de sitios con contaminación ambiental o industrias contaminantes.

En 2017, en asociación con el Environmental Law Institute (Instituto de derecho ambiental) y la National Association of County and City Health Officials (Asociación nacional de funcionarios de salud del condado y la ciudad), EHCC comenzó a brindar apoyo para el desarrollo de capacidades a los departamentos de salud estatales a medida que creaban e implementaban programas de ubicación segura en sus estados.

En 2022, EHCC realizó llamadas en grupos pequeños con los departamentos de salud participantes para mejorar la comunicación entre los estados y promover la sostenibilidad de sus programas de ubicación segura. También se crearon dos nuevos recursos para resaltar el trabajo de los estados para proteger la salud infantil:1) se presentaron las asociaciones de New Hampshire con los departamentos de salud locales y 2) las actividades de justicia ambiental de Massachusetts.

Consejos para roveedores de cuidado infantil- Elegir lugares seguros

Comuníquese con el departamento de salud pública local o estatal para averiguar si los pesticidas, el plomo, el mercurio, los compuestos orgánicos volátiles u otros peligros ambientales pueden ser una preocupación en el edificio o la ubicación de la instalación potencial del cuidado infantil.
Comuníquese con el programa Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education (Elija lugares seguros para el cuidado y la educación temprana) de su estado.*
Tome el curso Protegiendo la salud ambiental Infantil para obtener más información sobre cómo los peligros ambientales afectan la salud de los niños.

*No todos los estados tienen programas de ubicación segura.

Child Care and Climate Change–Opportunities for Action

kristiet_a0o04rjz on July 14, 2022

Child Care and Climate Change–Opportunities for Action

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

July 2022

Earlier this year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report stating that greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025. This is necessary to give the world a chance of limiting future heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels–thus averting climate disaster. The IPCC is the scientific group created by the United Nations to assess all global science related to climate change.

From the IPCC report:

“Temperatures will soar to more than 3C, with catastrophic consequences, unless policies and actions are urgently strengthened.”

The report also showed there is an environmental justice component. The wealthiest countries are responsible for disproportionately more greenhouse gas emissions than developing countries, even though developing countries are experiencing more severe climate impacts.

Children and Climate

Children are at the greatest risk of injury, disability, and death caused by the impacts of climate change because their bodies are still growing. They are less able to physically and mentally cope with life-threatening conditions.

Climate change is adversely impacting children’s health. Impacts include increases in:

Risk for heat-related illness.
Certain diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile, other mosquito-borne illnesses.
Frequency of natural disasters leading to children losing their lives and homes from wildfires, hurricanes, or flooding.
Asthma and allergies.

Children who are low-income and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous children are disproportionately impacted by climate change because of racist housing, and economic and social policies.

Climate Change and Child Care

Creating safe, healthy, and affordable child care settings–free of environmental hazards will improve children and staff health AND help alleviate the effects of climate change. Further, as we build new child care systems, they must be integrated into planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Child care systems can help protect children and staff health by incorporating environmental health best practices into state licensing and quality improvement initiatives. For example, Utah recognizes the Eco-Healthy Child Care® endorsement program as part of their state Quality Rating Improvement System. Providing additional funding and expert resources and personnel to support child care programs in following these new environmental health-related guidelines is key to success.

Practical steps child care providers can take to tackle climate change:

Avoid Single-Use Plastic: Opt for reusable shopping bags; avoid plastic straws or disposable plates and cutlery, and avoid unnecessary packaging whenever possible. A co-benefit of reducing plastic is lower exposure to harmful chemicals in many plastics, e,g, BPA and phthalates.
Lower Food Waste. Order smaller quantities of fresh produce to reduce spoilage. Follow the first-in, first-out system using older produce before it spoils. Whenever possible, repurpose older produce for alternate use before it goes bad (e.g. using the produce for a smoothie).
Create vegetable gardens with the children. Not only do green spaces reduce carbon dioxide, but they also provide teachable moments. Make sure to always test your soil for heavy metals like lead before beginning gardening.
Switch to low-energy LED bulbs. Using energy-efficient products is great for the environment and can save you money. This might include lowering the heat temperature during the cooler months by a few degrees, switching bulbs to energy-efficient LED options, or setting lights to sensor-style options (that shut off after periods of inactivity).

El cuidado infantil y el cambio climático: oportunidades para la acción

A principios de este año, el Panel on Climate Change -IPCC (el panel intergubernamental sobre el cambio climático) publicó un informe que indica que las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero deben alcanzar su punto máximo para 2025. Esto es necesario para dar al mundo una oportunidad de limitar el calentamiento futuro a 1.5 C por encima de los niveles preindustriales, evitando así un desastre climático. El IPCC es el grupo científico creado por las Naciones Unidas para evaluar toda la ciencia mundial relacionada con el cambio climático.

Del informe del IPCC:

“Las temperaturas se dispararán a más de 3°C, con consecuencias catastróficas, a menos que las políticas y acciones se fortalezcan con urgencia”.

El informe también mostró que existe un componente de justicia ambiental. Los países más ricos son responsables de una cantidad desproporcionadamente mayor de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero que los países en desarrollo, a pesar de que los países en desarrollo están experimentando impactos climáticos más severos.

Los niños y el clima

Los niños corren el mayor riesgo de sufrir lesiones, discapacidad y muerte causadas por los impactos del cambio climático porque sus cuerpos aún están creciendo. Son menos capaces de hacer frente física y mentalmente a las condiciones que amenazan la vida.

El cambio climático está afectando adversamente la salud de los niños. Los impactos incluyen aumentos en:

Riesgo de enfermedades relacionadas con el calor.
Ciertas enfermedades como la enfermedad de Lyme y del Nilo Occidental, otras enfermedades transmitidas por mosquitos.
Frecuencia de los desastres naturales que llevan a los niños a perder sus vidas y hogares por incendios forestales, huracanes o inundaciones.
Asma y alergias.

Los niños de bajos ingresos y los niños negros, latinos e indígenas se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada por el cambio climático debido a las políticas sociales, económicas y de vivienda racistas.

El cambio climático y el cuidado infantil

La creación de entornos de cuidado infantil seguros, saludables y asequibles, libres de peligros ambientales, mejorará la salud de los niños y del personal Y ayudará a aliviar los efectos del cambio climático. Además, a medida que construimos nuevos sistemas de cuidado infantil, deben integrarse en la planificación para la mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático.

Los sistemas de cuidado infantil pueden ayudar a proteger la salud de los niños y del personal al incorporar las mejores prácticas de salud ambiental en las iniciativas estatales de licencias y mejora de la calidad. Por ejemplo, Utah reconoce el programa de respaldo Eco-Healthy Child Care® como parte de su Sistema de Mejoramiento de Clasificación de Calidad estatal. Proporcionar fondos adicionales y recursos y personal experto para apoyar los programas de cuidado infantil en el seguimiento de estas nuevas directrices relacionadas con la salud ambiental es clave para el éxito.

Pasos prácticos que los proveedores de cuidado infantil pueden tomar para abordar el cambio climático:

Evite el plástico de un solo uso: opte por bolsas de compras reutilizables; evite las pajitas de plástico o los platos y cubiertos desechables, y evite los envases innecesarios siempre que sea posible. Un co-beneficio de reducir el plástico es una menor exposición a químicos dañinos en muchos plásticos, por ejemplo, BPA y phthalates (ftalatos).
Reducir el desperdicio de alimentos. Pida cantidades más pequeñas de productos frescos para reducir el deterioro. Siga el sistema de primeras entradas, primeras salidas utilizando productos más antiguos antes de que se echen a perder. Siempre que sea posible, reutilice los productos más viejos para un uso alternativo antes de que se echen a perder (p. ej., use el producto para un batido).
Crear huertas con los niños. Los espacios verdes no solo reducen el dióxido de carbono, sino que también brindan momentos de aprendizaje. Asegúrese de analizar siempre la tierra en busca de metales pesados como el plomo antes de comenzar a trabajar en el jardín.

Cámbiate a las bombillas LED de bajo consumo. El uso de productos de bajo consumo es excelente para el medio ambiente y puede ahorrarle dinero. Esto puede incluir reducir la temperatura del calor durante los meses más fríos grados, cambiar las bombillas a LED de bajo consumo o ajustar las luces a opciones de estilo sensor (que se apagan después de períodos de inactividad).

Public Health Week and Lead Prevention in Child Care

kristiet_a0o04rjz on March 25, 2022

Public Health Week & Lead Prevention in Child Care

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

April 2022

National Public Health Week is April 6-12th and this year’s theme is “Public Health is Where You Are.” The field of public health acknowledges that where we live impacts health-especially for children, who are more vulnerable to environmental hazards like indoor and outdoor air pollution and lead poisoning.

Child Care and Children’s Health

The Eco-Healthy Child Care® program (EHCC), works to protect children and child care staff from environmental hazards found in child care settings. Millions of children spend 40+ hours a week in center-based and family child care settings–making child care critically important to children’s overall health and welfare. We know that for every $1 invested in child care, the return (in health savings, tax benefits, and other measures) is up to $12. Ensuring that child care staff have the education, training, and support to create safe and healthy child care facilities, free of environmental hazards, is essential.

Lead and Child Care Settings

There is no safe level of lead for children. Lead can be found in the air, water, soil, and consumer products. Children are at high risk because their bodies are still developing, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to lead’s harmful effects. These effects, including brain damage and loss of IQ, occur at low levels of exposure to lead sources often found in homes and child care facilities.

Recently, through private foundation funding, EHCC and its partners, the National Center for Healthy Housing and National Association for Family Child Care, established a network of family child care leaders the–Getting Ahead of Lead Leaders Network–to build leadership within the family child care field to tackle issues of lead poisoning in home-based child cares.

The network is made up of racially and geographically diverse home-based child care providers, all of whom committed to an intensive series of virtual meetings and online and in-person training on environmental health.

To learn more about how to keep children and child care staff safe from lead hazards in the home, visit the Lead-Safe Toolkit. Sign-up for Eco-Healthy Child Care®’s monthly eco-hot tips, to get science-based, low-cost best practices for eliminating environmental hazards like pesticides, unsafe plastics, and harmful chemicals found in many cleaning products.

Semana de la salud pública y prevención del plomo en el cuidado infantil

La Semana Nacional de la Salud Pública es del 6 al 12 de abril y el tema de este año es “La salud pública está donde usted se encuentre”. El campo de la salud pública reconoce que el lugar donde vivimos afecta la salud, especialmente para los niños, que son más vulnerables a los peligros ambientales como la contaminación del aire interior y exterior y el envenenamiento por plomo.

El Cuidado infantil y la salud infantil

El programa Eco-Healthy Child Care® (EHCC), trabaja para proteger a los niños y al personal de cuidado infantil de los peligros ambientales que se encuentran en los entornos de cuidado infantil. Millones de niños pasan más de 40 horas a la semana en entornos de cuidado infantil familiar y en centros, lo que hace que el cuidado infantil sea de vital importancia para la salud y el bienestar general de los niños. Sabemos que por cada $1 invertido en cuidado infantil, el rendimiento (en ahorros de salud, beneficios fiscales y otras medidas) es de hasta $12. Es esencial garantizar que el personal de cuidado infantil tenga la educación, la capacitación y el apoyo para crear entornos de cuidado infantil seguras y saludables, libres de peligros ambientales.

Plomo y entornos de cuidado infantil

No existe un nivel seguro de plomo para los niños. El plomo se puede encontrar en el aire, el agua, el suelo y los productos de consumo. Los niños corren un alto riesgo porque sus cuerpos aún se están desarrollando y sus cerebros y sistemas nerviosos son más sensibles a los efectos nocivos del plomo. Estos efectos, incluido el daño cerebral y la pérdida del coeficiente intelectual, ocurren con niveles bajos de exposición a las fuentes de plomo que a menudo se encuentran en los hogares y las guarderías.

Recientemente, a través del financiamiento de una fundación privada, EHCC y sus socios, el National Center for Healthy Housing (Centro Nacional para Viviendas Saludables) y la National Association for Family Child Care (Asociación Nacional para el Cuidado Infantil Familiar), establecieron una red de líderes de cuidado infantil familiar, el Getting Ahead of Lead Leaders Network (Red de Líderes Adelantándose al Plomo) para desarrollar liderazgo dentro del cuidado infantil familiar para abordar los problemas de envenenamiento por plomo en los centros de cuidado infantil en el hogar.

La red está compuesta por proveedores de cuidado infantil en el hogar racial y geográficamente diversos, todos los cuales se comprometieron con una serie intensiva de reuniones virtuales y capacitación en línea y en persona sobre la salud ambiental.

Para obtener más información sobre cómo mantener a los niños y al personal de cuidado infantil a salvo de los peligros del plomo en el hogar, visite el kit de herramientas sin plomo para el cuidado infantil en el hogar. Inscríbase en los consejos mensuales de Eco-Healthy Child Care® para obtener mejores prácticas de bajo costo y basadas en la ciencia para eliminar peligros ambientales como pesticidas, plásticos inseguros y químicos dañinos que se encuentran en muchos productos de limpieza.

Emergency Preparedness and Child Care

kristiet_a0o04rjz on August 31, 2021

Emergency Preparedness & Child Care

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

September 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic placed a spotlight on the child care community and the need for improved health and safety practices, policies, and planning–AND more funding for these essential workers. The child care workforce was placed at heightened risk during the pandemic, as many remained open without the necessary protocols or supplies that would have kept them safe.

Child care providers, who are often women of color, and who are of child-bearing age, and low income are already more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards, including chemicals found in cleaning products, or poor indoor air quality. Studies show that black and brown communities are more likely to live in substandard housing and near hazardous waste sites, polluting industries, and mobile sources of pollution including cars, trucks, and ships.

We must do better to protect our children and our workforce.

Each September national preparedness is observed as a way to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies or the next pandemic. This is a great opportunity for child care providers to assess their readiness. Each week in September, the campaign will focus on a different aspect of preparedness for individuals, families, and communities. The Ready Campaign organizes the annual event.

There are many great free resources to assist child care professionals in becoming emergency prepared.

Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) has fact sheets on what child care providers and Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies should include in their emergency supply kit. CCAoA also has developed an emergency preparedness checklist for providers.

Head Start has an emergency preparedness web page with tip sheets and an Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs. These resources address the social and emotional needs of children and staff as well as the development of emergency plans.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education Disaster Recovery Supplement can help environmental and public health professionals protect children from environmental exposures after a disaster. The supplement helps identify environmental exposures that might harm children while they are in child care.

Child care providers who would like to receive monthly updates on best practices for keeping their child care free of environmental hazards should sign up for Eco-Healthy Child Care®’s eco-hot tip emails.

Eliminating environmental hazards like poor indoor air quality will help keep children and child care providers healthier AND better prepare them for the next emergency.

Preparación para emergencias y cuidado infantil

La pandemia de COVID-19 puso de relieve a la comunidad de cuidado infantil y la necesidad de mejorar las prácticas, políticas y planificación de salud, seguridad, y más fondos para estos trabajadores esenciales. La fuerza laboral de cuidado infantil se vio expuesta a un mayor riesgo durante la pandemia, ya que muchos permanecieron abiertos sin los protocolos o suministros necesarios que los hubieran mantenido a salvo.

Los proveedores de cuidado infantil, que a menudo son mujeres de color, y que están en edad fértil, y de bajos ingresos tienen más probabilidades de estar expuestos a peligros ambientales, incluidos los productos químicos que se encuentran en los productos de limpieza o la mala calidad del aire interior. Los estudios muestran que las comunidades negras y marrones tienen más probabilidades de vivir en viviendas de mala calidad y cerca de sitios de desechos peligrosos, industrias contaminantes y fuentes móviles de contaminación, incluidos automóviles, camiones y barcos.

Debemos hacer mejor para proteger a nuestros niños y nuestra fuerza laboral.

Cada septiembre, la preparación nacional se observa como una forma de aumentar la conciencia y la comprensión de la importancia de prepararse para desastres y emergencias o la próxima pandemia. Esta es una gran oportunidad para que los proveedores de cuidado infantil evalúen su preparación. Cada semana de septiembre, la campaña se centrará en un aspecto diferente de la preparación de las personas, las familias y las comunidades. La Campaña lista organiza el evento anual.

Hay muchos recursos gratuitos excelentes para ayudar a los profesionales del cuidado infantil a prepararse para emergencias.

Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) tiene hojas de datos sobre lo que los proveedores de cuidado infantil y las agencias de Recursos y Referencias de Cuidado Infantil (CCR&R) deben incluir en su Kit de suministros de emergencia. CCAoA también ha desarrollado una lista de verificación de preparación para casos de emergencia para los proveedores.

Head start tiene una página web de preparación para emergencias con hojas de consejos y un Manual de preparación para emergencias para programas de la primera infancia. Estos recursos abordan las necesidades sociales y emocionales de los niños y el personal, así como el desarrollo de planes de emergencia.

El Suplemento de recuperación por desastre de la Agencia para Sustancias Tóxicas y el Registro de Enfermedades puede ayudar a los profesionales del medio ambiente y de la salud pública a proteger a los niños de la exposición ambiental después de un desastre. El suplemento ayuda a identificar las exposiciones ambientales que pueden dañar a los niños mientras están en el cuidado infantil.

Los proveedores de cuidado infantil que deseen recibir actualizaciones mensuales sobre las mejores prácticas para mantener su cuidado infantil libre de peligros ambientales deben inscribirse a los correos electrónicos eco-hot tip de Eco-Healthy Child Care®.

La eliminación de peligros ambientales como la mala calidad del aire interior ayudará a mantener a los niños y a los proveedores de cuidado infantil más saludables y a prepararlos mejor para la próxima emergencia.

Water Quality in Child Care

kristiet_a0o04rjz on August 11, 2021

Water Quality in Child Care

By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®

August 2021

August is National Water Quality Month. Do you know about the quality of your water in your home or child care facility?

If your water comes from a community water system, you can call to request a copy of its annual water quality report, called a consumer confidence report (CCR). Most people in the United States receive water from a community water system. Typically, customers receive the CCR with their water bill once a year. The report contains information on contaminants found, possible health effects, and the water’s source. If you do not receive a report, contact your water company to collect this important information.

If your water comes from a household well or other private source, you are responsible for assuring the water is safe. For this reason, routine testing of the most common contaminants (e.g. bacteria, nitrates, and lead) is highly recommended. Often county health departments will help you test for bacteria or nitrates. If not, you can have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory. You can find one in your area by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visiting www.epa.gov/safewater/labs.

What is the source of your drinking water?

Drinking water that is supplied to homes and child care facilities comes from either surface water or a groundwater source. Surface water accumulates in streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Groundwater is water located below the ground where it accumulates in spaces within rocks and in underground aquifers. Water travels to the tap from surface water, or groundwater source through the local water utility, or through an individual water system, such as a private well. A private well uses groundwater as its water source.

Contaminants in water can cause health issues, such as gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. Infants, young children, and pregnant women may be at increased risk of becoming sick after drinking contaminated water. For example, lead exposure can cause permanent brain damage in infants and children.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates many contaminants that pose known human health risks.

If you are concerned about water quality at your home or child care facility, one best practice is to filter your water. However, different water filters have different uses. Certain filters can remove harmful contaminants like lead. Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s water filter page to learn more.

For more information on lead in water and child care facilities and steps to reduce lead exposures, check out the free Lead-Safe Toolkit. The Toolkit offers easy-to-understand policies and worksheets on strategies for eliminating lead hazards in child care environments.

To learn more about what local and national public health and environmental organizations are doing to ensure clean water for all communities visit the Clean Water For All website.

Calidad del agua en el cuidado infantil

Agosto es el Mes Nacional de la Calidad del Agua. ¿Conoce la calidad del agua en su hogar o centro de cuidado infantil?

Si su agua proviene de un sistema de agua comunitario, puede llamar para solicitar una copia de su informe anual de calidad del agua, llamado informe de confianza del consumidor (CCR por sus siglas en inglés). La mayoría de las personas en los Estados Unidos reciben agua de un sistema de agua comunitario. Normalmente, los clientes reciben el CCR con su factura de agua una vez al año. El informe contiene información sobre los contaminantes encontrados, los posibles efectos sobre la salud y la fuente del agua. Si no recibe un informe, comuníquese con su compañía de agua para recopilar esta importante información.

Si su agua proviene de un pozo doméstico u otra fuente privada, usted es responsable de asegurarse de que el agua sea segura. Por esta razón, se recomienda encarecidamente realizar pruebas de rutina de los contaminantes más comunes (por ejemplo, bacterias, nitratos y plomo). A menudo, los departamentos de salud del condado le ayudarán a realizar pruebas de detección de bacterias o nitratos. De lo contrario, puede hacer que un laboratorio certificado por el estado analice su agua. Puede encontrar uno en su área llamando a la línea directa de agua potable segura al 1-800-426-4791 o visitando www.epa.gov/safewater/labs.

¿Cuál es la fuente de su agua potable?

El agua potable que se suministra a los hogares y las instalaciones de cuidado infantil proviene de aguas superficiales o subterráneas. El agua superficial se acumula en arroyos, ríos, lagos y embalses. El agua subterránea es agua ubicada debajo del suelo donde se acumula en espacios dentro de rocas y en acuíferos subterráneos. El agua llega al grifo desde el agua superficial o la fuente de agua subterránea a través de la empresa de agua local, o mediante un sistema de agua individual, como un pozo privado. Un pozo privado utiliza agua subterránea como fuente de agua.

Los contaminantes en el agua pueden causar problemas de salud, como enfermedades gastrointestinales, problemas reproductivos y trastornos neurológicos. Los bebés, los niños pequeños y las mujeres embarazadas pueden tener un mayor riesgo de enfermarse después de beber agua contaminada. Por ejemplo, la exposición al plomo puede causar daño cerebral permanente en bebés y niños.

La Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA por sus siglas en inglés) regula muchos contaminantes que presentan riesgos conocidos para la salud humana.

Si le preocupa la calidad del agua en su hogar o en el centro de cuidado infantil, una de las mejores prácticas es filtrar el agua. Sin embargo, los diferentes filtros de agua tienen diferentes usos. Ciertos filtros pueden eliminar contaminantes dañinos como el plomo. Visite la página de filtros de agua Centro para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades para obtener más información.

Para obtener más información sobre el plomo en el agua y las instalaciones de cuidado infantil y los pasos para reducir la exposición al plomo, consulte el Kit de herramientas seguro para el plomo gratuito. El kit de herramientas ofrece políticas y hojas de trabajo fáciles de entender sobre estrategias para eliminar los peligros del plomo en los centros de cuidado infantil.

Para obtener más información sobre lo que están haciendo las organizaciones ambientales y de salud pública locales y nacionales para garantizar el agua limpia para todas las comunidades, visite el sitio web Agua limpia para todos.

Quality Child Care and Environmental Health

kristiet_a0o04rjz on March 29, 2021

Quality Child Care and Environmental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a heightened focus in child care settings on maintaining safe and effective cleaning, disinfecting and ventilation practices. This is important for not only children’s health but also for staff safety.

The National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs offers early childhood leaders the opportunity to demonstrate and document quality performance using research-based criteria and evidence-based practices. The National Accreditation Commission provides a comprehensive, ongoing quality improvement system that recognizes the inherent diversity among programs through the self-study and award process. Over 1,300 early learning programs in 35 states, the District of Columbia and overseas participate. The National Accreditation Commission recently comprehensively incorporated environmental health best practices into their accreditation standards. These new standards can help providers maintain a safe and healthy child care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Eco-Healthy Child Care® (EHCC) program worked with the National Accreditation Commission to update the standards. The updated standards are based upon EHCC’s eco-healthy checklist. EHCC endorses facilities (center and family child care) who comply with 24 of 30 simple, free or low-cost environmentally healthy best practices found on the checklist.

Below are some National Accreditation Commission standards relevant to safer ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting practices.

National Accreditation Commission Standard: D13. Steps are taken to ensure that indoor and outdoor air quality is monitored.

Adequate ventilation is maintained by using an HVAC system, fans, and/or open screened windows.
HVAC filters are changed or cleaned at least every 3 months or more often if indicated by manufacturer’s guidelines.

National Accreditation Commission Standard D17: Least-toxic cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products are consistently used according to manufacturers’ instructions.

Sanitizer/disinfectant other than household bleach is used:
- Sanitizer/disinfectant is EPA registered.
- Sanitizer/disinfectant is the least toxic option for use around children.
- Sanitizer/disinfectant is prepared and used according to manufacturer’s instructions, including appropriate contact time.
- The sanitizer/disinfectant is only used for its intended purpose and in strict accordance with all label instructions.

To learn more about safer cleaning, disinfecting and ventilation best practices related to early care and education and COVID-19, access EHCC’s free fact sheets which are user-friendly and include links to numerous science-based resources. Share these EHCC fact sheets with your colleagues and the families you serve.

If you are looking for an interactive learning experience EHCC’s newly updated Protecting Children’s Environmental Health e-course is a great resource. The e-course provides no-to-low cost strategies for preventing children and staff from unnecessary exposures to harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, plastics, and furnishings, among other hazards.

The Protecting Children’s Environmental Health course is approved for adult learning clock hours in 48 states. Fulfill your hours and gain a better understanding of what environmental hazards may be found in and around your child care facility.

SAVE the DATE! On April 29th at 1pm ET EHCC and the Association for Early Learning Leaders/National Accreditation Commission will be hosting a webinar on children’s environmental health and NAC’s new accreditation standards.

EPA’s Lead & Copper Rule: Requirements for Schools & Child Care

kristiet_a0o04rjz on February 23, 2021

EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule: Requirements for Schools and Child Care

CEHN raises awareness on the harmful effects to children from lead exposure, and we do our best to provide simple and low-to-no cost steps that families, care givers, and child care providers can take to reduce children’s exposure to lead hazards.

While lead-based paint hazards are the primary source of lead exposure to children in the U.S., lead in drinking water also contributes to a child’s body burden of the neurotoxic heavy metal, and is an especially important source for infants less than one year of age. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates lead in publicly supplied drinking water through the Lead & Copper Rule (LCR), and in December of 2020, the agency finalized a revised LCR.

A new focus area has been added to this revised LCR—specifically the requirement to test the drinking water lead levels in elementary schools and licensed child care facilities. We applaud this recognition of early care and learning settings as important environments that may contribute significantly to children’s cumulative exposures.

However, the rule isn’t perfect. Community water systems are not required to test all taps used for consumption in schools and child care facilities, which could lead to missed hazards and a false sense of security. In addition, utilities are only required to test each elementary school and licensed child care facilitiy once during a 5-year testing cycle. Thereafter, testing would be by request only. Secondary schools must request testing, despite the fact that older children and adults, especially pregnant women, are harmed by lead exposures too. And the rule did not lower the lead “action level” in water, which at 15 parts per billion (ppb), is not a health-based standard. We know that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Thus, even if the few tested taps have lead levels below 15ppb, school and child care administrators should continue to adopt routine practices to reduce lead levels to as close as possible to 0ppb. Lastly, some schools and child care facilities have known lead service lines, which contribute the greatest percentage of lead to the tap. Full replacement of these lines should precede testing, in order to determine if internal plumbing fixtures are contributing to lead levels.

The Biden Administration put a regulatory freeze on the LCR before it went into effect. The rule is being reviewed, and it may end up being dismantled or changed. However, utilities and municipalities are already beginning to make plans to work towards compliance with the rule. It is important for cities, communities, school districts, and school and child care administrators to know about the rule and its implications, requirements, gaps, and opportunities in order to best protect children’s health.

In order to learn more about the LCR and its implications for schools and child care programs, make sure to register for our free townhall:

EPA’s Lead & Copper Rule: What Schools and Child Care Need to Know

April 21, 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET

This is the 2nd installment of our 3-part virtual townhall series on lead in drinking water, aimed to motivate the public health community to help accelerate the elimination of lead hazards in drinking water. You do not to be a public health professional to attend. Anyone interested in learning more about the LCR and lead in drinking water, please join us for the full series!