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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.

Climate Change and Childhood Lead Poisoning

kristiet_a0o04rjz on July 13, 2021

Climate Change and Childhood Lead Poisoning 

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

Scientists agree that our climate is changing and that humans are responsible. Climate change is more than just higher temperatures. We already see the impacts of climate change, including severe storms, temperature extremes, and drought

But what does climate change have to do with childhood lead poisoning?

Studies show that children have higher blood lead levels when it’s summer and hotter. In warm weather, windows (often painted with lead-based paint) are opened and closed more, which leads to increased lead dust in the air and on the ground. Repainting and renovation activities also are more common in warmer months. 

Climate change can make childhood lead poisoning worse, particularly in black, brown, and low-wealth communities; and, these communities are often already at greater risk of lead hazards. Climate change has an unequal impact on the aforementioned groups because it is a “threat multiplier.” It layers on top of existing public health, economic, and racial injustices in the U.S.

Black, brown, and low-wealth families are more likely to live in older, substandard housing–housing that is not maintained and has chipping, peeling, or cracking lead-based paint. More days of extreme heat increases the likelihood of lead dust accumulating inside homes and therefore heightens children’s exposures. These communities are also more often living in neighborhoods surrounded by polluting industries or busy roadways, leading to lead in soil contamination.

The need for urgent action on climate change is clear. 

To combat climate change, we must provide resources to communities that need it most. That way, all neighborhoods, and communities can be healthy and safe places to live. To learn more about the health impacts of climate change, what organizations are doing, and how you can get involved, subscribe to the Children’s Environmental Health Network’s weekly e-digest.

For steps, you can take as a parent, child care provider, or home-owner to reduce children’s exposures to lead hazards, visit our FREE Lead-Safe Toolkit. The Toolkit offers a range of resources, including a poster and worksheets that provide easy-to-follow steps for finding out if lead hazards exist in your home or child care and what to do to reduce any exposures.

El cambio climático y el envenenamiento por plomo en la niñez

Los científicos están de acuerdo en que nuestro clima está cambiando y que los seres humanos somos responsables. El cambio climático es más que temperaturas más altas. Ya vemos los impactos del cambio climático, incluyendo tormentas severas, temperaturas extremas y sequías.

Pero, ¿qué tiene que ver el cambio climático con el envenenamiento infantil por plomo?

Los estudios muestran que los niños tienen niveles más altos de plomo en la sangre cuando es  verano y hace más calor. En climas cálidos, las ventanas (a menudo pintadas con pintura a base de plomo) se abren y se cierran más, lo que conduce a un aumento de polvo con plomo en el aire y en el suelo. Las actividades de repintado y renovación también son más comunes en los meses más cálidos. 

El cambio climático puede empeorar el envenenamiento por plomo en la niñez, particularmente en comunidades negras, marrones y de bajos recursos económicos; y estas comunidades a menudo ya corren un mayor riesgo de sufrir los peligros del plomo. El cambio climático tiene un impacto desigual en los grupos antes mencionados porque es un “multiplicador de amenazas”. Se superpone a las injusticias raciales, económicas y de salud pública existentes en los EE. UU.

Las familias negras, morenas y de bajos recursos tienen más probabilidades de vivir en viviendas más antiguas y deficientes: viviendas que no se mantienen y tienen astillas, peladuras o agrietamiento de pintura a base de plomo. Más días de calor extremo aumenta la probabilidad de que el polvo de plomo se acumule dentro de las casas y, por lo tanto, aumenta la exposición de los niños. Estas comunidades también viven con mayor frecuencia en vecindarios rodeados de industrias contaminantes o carreteras concurridas, lo que lleva a la contaminación del suelo con plomo.

La necesidad de una acción urgente sobre el cambio climático es clara. 

Para combatir el cambio climático, debemos proporcionar recursos a las comunidades que más lo necesitan. De esa manera, todos los vecindarios y comunidades pueden ser lugares saludables y seguros para vivir. Para obtener más información sobre los impactos en la salud del cambio climático, qué están haciendo las organizaciones y cómo puede participar, suscríbase al e-digest semanal de Children’s Environmental Health Network.

Para conocer los pasos que puede tomar como padre, proveedor de cuidado infantil o propietario de una casa para reducir la exposición de los niños a los peligros del plomo, visite nuestro Kit de herramientas sin plomo GRATUITO. El kit de herramientas ofrece una variedad de recursos, que incluyen un póster y hojas de trabajo que brindan pasos fáciles de seguir para averiguar si existen peligros de plomo en su hogar o cuidado infantil y qué hacer para reducir cualquier exposición.

Good Health Depends on a Safe and Healthy Home

kristiet_a0o04rjz on June 3, 2021

Good Health Depends on a Safe and Healthy Home

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

June is Healthy Homes month! Good health depends on having homes that are free from physical and environmental hazards. For home-based child care providers, ensuring your home is safe and healthy is of the utmost importance. 

Building materials, furnishings, poor maintenance, and occupant activities can add chemicals and particles that build up inside of home-based (and center-based) child care settings. Allowing indoor settings to remain damp can also encourage the growth of mold and mildew. All of these issues can lead to poor indoor air quality. 

Poor indoor air quality is linked to acute respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis, and emphysema. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults. 

Poor ventilation is often found in substandard housing. Housing quality varies by social and economic circumstances. Families with fewer financial resources are more likely to experience unhealthy housing and typically less able to fix problems, contributing to disparities in health across racial and economic groups.

Because housing impacts health significantly, local, state and federal governments and organizations must work together to develop programs and policies that can improve the quality of housing. And, in addition,  increase access to affordable and safe housing for black, brown and low-wealth communities.

There are actions child care providers can take today to immediately improve indoor air quality:

Ventilating a child care means bringing in fresh outdoor air into the building to dilute indoor air that contains contaminants including viruses, mold spores, house dust, and chemicals from furnishings and cleaning products. 

Buildings can be ventilated naturally, by opening doors and screened windows or mechanically, by using heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that bring in outdoor air and distribute it through ducts. 

Portable air cleaners can be used to supplement natural and mechanical ventilation systems in certain situations: 1) when windows can’t be opened, 2) there isn’t a working HVAC system, or 3) when extreme weather conditions or poor outdoor air quality does not allow safely opening windows.

Learn more about best practices for improving your indoor air quality in our newly updated Protecting Children’s Environmental Health E-Course. The course is now available in Spanish and is approved for learning clock hours in 48 states.

La buena salud depende de un hogar seguro y saludable

¡Junio ​​es el mes de hogares saludables! La buena salud depende de tener hogares libres de peligros físicos y ambientales. Para los proveedores de cuidado infantil en el hogar, garantizar que su hogar sea seguro y saludable es de suma importancia. 

Materiales de construcción, el mobiliario, el mantenimiento deficiente y las actividades de los ocupantes pueden agregar sustancias químicas y partículas que se acumulan dentro de los entornos de cuidado infantil en el hogar (y en el centro). Permitir que los ambientes interiores permanezcan húmedos también puede estimular el crecimiento de moho y hongos. Todos estos problemas pueden provocar una mala calidad del aire interior. 

La mala calidad del aire interior está relacionada con enfermedades respiratorias agudas como el asma, la bronquitis y el enfisema. Los niños son particularmente vulnerables a la contaminación del aire porque sus pulmones aún se están desarrollando y respiran más aire por libra de peso corporal que los adultos. 

La ventilación deficiente se encuentra a menudo en viviendas deficientes. La calidad de la vivienda varía según las circunstancias sociales y económicas. Las familias con menos recursos financieros tienen más probabilidades de experimentar viviendas insalubres y, por lo general, tienen menos capacidad para solucionar problemas, lo que contribuye a las disparidades en la salud entre grupos raciales y económicos.

Debido a que la vivienda tiene un impacto significativo en la salud, los gobiernos y las organizaciones locales, estatales y federales deben trabajar juntos para desarrollar programas y políticas que puedan mejorar la calidad de la vivienda. Y, además, aumentar el acceso a viviendas asequibles y seguras para comunidades negras, marrones y de bajos recursos.

Hay acciones que los proveedores de cuidado infantil pueden tomar hoy para mejorar inmediatamente la calidad del aire interior:

Ventilar un entorno de cuidado infantil significa traer aire fresco del exterior al edificio para diluir el aire interior que contiene contaminantes, incluidos virus, esporas de moho, polvo doméstico y productos químicos de muebles y productos de limpieza. 

Los edificios se pueden ventilar de forma natural, abriendo puertas y ventanas con mosquiteros o mecánicamente, utilizando sistemas de calefacción, ventilación y aire acondicionado (HVAC) que traen el aire exterior y lo distribuyen a través de conductos. 

Los filtros de aire portátiles se pueden usar para complementar los sistemas de ventilación natural y mecánica en ciertas situaciones: 1) cuando las ventanas no se pueden abrir, 2) no hay un sistema HVAC que funcione, o 3) cuando hay condiciones climáticas extremas o mala calidad del aire exterior no permite abrir ventanas de forma segura.

Obtenga más información sobre las mejores prácticas para mejorar la calidad del aire interior en nuestro curso electrónico recién actualizado sobre la Protección de la salud ambiental de los niños. El curso ahora está disponible en español y está aprobado para las horas de reloj de aprendizaje en 48 estados.

Eliminating a Brain Damaging Pesticide is a Win for Children’s Health

kristiet_a0o04rjz on May 4, 2021

Eliminating a Brain Damaging Pesticide is a Win for

Children’s Health

May 2021

In late April, a federal court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take actions that will force the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which is a neurotoxicant, off the market. For years, the EPA has considered the mounting evidence that links the pesticide to loss of: IQ, learning difficulties, and ADHD in children, but had repeatedly delayed taking action.

The federal lawsuit was brought by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Pesticide Action Network, United Farm Workers, and other health and labor groups.

Exposure to chlorpyrifos, through residue on food and drift near agricultural fields where it was applied, has caused immeasurable harm to developing children. According to research, organophosphate pesticides, of which chlorpyrifos is the most widely used, accounted for an estimated $594 billion in external societal costs, including added health care and education, between 2001 and 2016.

Children may be exposed to pesticides by: playing on treated floors, lawns, and play structures; eating pesticide-treated foods; handling treated pets; or drinking contaminated water.

Taking chlorpyrifos off the market is a tremendous win for children’s health but we mustn’t stop there. 

Reducing pesticide exposures in child care settings can help protect children and staff. One way to do so is to ensure the pest control operator you employ  in your facility is implementing least toxic or Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices.Strategies like eliminating food and water sources and blocking entryways.

Below are tips for how to choose a pest control operator that uses least-toxic IPM strategies:

  1. Identify the pest and conduct research about how to⁠ control it using preventative approaches (i.e., removing what the pest is drawn to: food, water, shelter).⁠
  2. Contact several pest control professionals to assess⁠ which of them uses least-toxic, preventative alternatives. For example, confirm that baits and traps are employed against cockroaches⁠ (rather than sprays) and that baits (rather than⁠ sprays) are used for ants.⁠
  3. Ask the professional to inspect the site of concern and provide a written diagnosis⁠ of the problem or an identification of the pest.⁠

Learn more practical and 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 in our Protecting Children’s Environmental Health e-course. The course is approved for learning clock hours for child care professionals in 48 states.

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!

Moving the Child Care Field Forward-Updated Environmental Health Standards

kristiet_a0o04rjz on December 8, 2020

Moving the Child Care Field Forward-Updated Environmental Health Standards

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

BIG NEWS!!! The Association for Early Learning Leaders (AELL) has recently released updated accreditation standards for center-based child care providers. These new standards are now more inclusive of children’s environmental health.

The Eco-Healthy Child Care® program worked with AELL to ensure environmental health best practices were included in their newly updated standards. For example, AELL recommends monitoring indoor air quality by: ensuring adequate ventilation is maintained by using an HVAC system and/or opening screened windows; avoiding conditions that lead to excess moisture; and not using aerosols, among other best practices. Protecting children from outdoor air pollution can be done by checking the Air Quality Index and instituting an anti-idling policy, in addition to other strategies. 

A primary AELL goal is to ensure high quality child care programs for young children. One way they do this is by accrediting center-based facilities. Their updated accreditation standards reflect current research and evidence-based practices within the early learning field. For example, including information and strategies to reduce air pollution in order to protect children’s health.

All national child care accreditation standards are voluntary strategies for improving the quality of child care. There currently are no mandated national regulations related to environmental health in child care facilities. Some states require child care facilities to test for lead in water and paint, or require facilities to test for radon, but more often than not, environmental health is not comprehensively addressed in child care licensing requirements. 

EHCC’s work to incorporate environmental health best practices within national child care accreditation–AELL’s and the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s— as well as within the National Center for Healthy and Safety in Child Care and Early Education’s (NRC) Caring for Our Children’s health and safety standards is a path towards strengthening local child care licensing. When local licensing agencies are seeking to update regulations they often look to accreditation and NRC’s Caring for Our Children’s health and safety standards for model practices that have been agreed upon by subject matter experts. 

High quality child care must include considerations for the health and safety of the children and staff–environmental health is a key part in ensuring our children and the people who care for them are free of exposures to potential environmental pollutants. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for comprehensive and safer strategies to address cleaning, disinfecting and indoor air quality in child care. Many of Eco-Healthy Child Care® ‘s cleaning and disinfecting best practices found on our checklist align with the Center’s Disease Control’s COVID-19 best practices for keeping child care facilities safe during the pandemic. We have also developed NEW user-friendly and science based COVID-19 fact sheets for child care professionals on cleaning, disinfecting and indoor air quality (available in both English and Spanish).

Are you a child care provider looking to create a child care environment free of environmental hazards such as: BPA, pesticides or lead? Get Eco-Healthy Child Care® Endorsed!

As an Eco-Healthy Child Care® endorsed provider you will create and maintain a child care facility that is healthy and safe by reducing children’s exposure to environmental hazards like lead in paint and water, unsafe plastics and toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies.

An Ounce of Prevention

kristiet_a0o04rjz on August 25, 2020

An Ounce of Prevention 

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

As a parent, or caregiver, when you buy products for your children, you expect them to be safe. A 2019 Washington state investigation of children’s products bought on Amazon found that to be untrue. Tests identified dangerous levels of lead and other heavy metals including cadmium in certain children’s costume jewelry and school supplies. 

Lead exposure is unsafe at any level. Ingesting tiny (often microscopic) concentrations can permanently damage the developing brains of children. 

A new study from Case Western Reserve University followed 10,000 children who experienced elevated blood-lead levels before age 3 through age 23. The study found that adults who had experienced childhood lead poisoning were more likely to be incarcerated, experience homelessness and rely on public assistance than children who had not been poisoned by lead. The study also highlights the demographics that are more likely to experience childhood lead poisoning–the rate of elevated blood-lead levels was highest in Black students.

Black and brown communities are more likely to experience childhood lead poisoning as a result of long-standing structural racism. Structural racism has led to the disparate impact of hazardous waste sites, polluting facilities and poor quality housing stock being located in or near neighborhoods with high concentrations of black and brown people and economically disadvantaged populations. 

Structural racism is a term for the many systemic factors that work to produce and maintain racial inequities in the U.S. These aspects of our history and culture allow the privileges associated with “whiteness” and the disadvantages associated with “color” to remain deeply embedded within U.S. public policies and institutional practices.

This latest Case Western Reserve University study reinforces the importance of preventing childhood lead poisoning. 

The Lead-Safe Toolkit for Home-Based Child Care helps families and child care providers reduce lead hazards within home settings. The Toolkit is a result of Eco-Healthy Child Care®’s partnership with the National Center for Healthy Housing and the National Association of Family Child Care. It is filled with FREE resources including an eye-catching poster and user-friendly worksheets (soon to also be available in Spanish) that provide easy-to-follow steps for finding out if lead hazards exist in the home and what to do to reduce any exposures.

Exposure to lead in the home can create long-lasting health issues for children including: learning disabilities and loss of IQ. Sources of lead can include: paint, dust, water, soil and consumer products. 

Certain children’s items are known to have a higher risk of containing lead, such as: inexpensive metal costume jewelry, antique toys and imported toys. Children, especially infants and toddlers, can mouth these unsafe products–inadvertently ingesting pieces and/or inhaling lead-contaminated dust from these play items – which can then cause irreversible harm. Preventing exposures is key to protecting children’s health. 

One quick and easy tip to reduce lead hazards is to stay up-to-date on product recalls by visiting the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Checking out CPSC’s website on a regular basis is a great way to keep children safe from lead-contaminated consumer products.

Learn more affordable and effective tips for protecting children from lead in the home setting in the FREE Lead-Safe Toolkit.

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Contact

  • Children's Environmental Health Network
  • 110 Maryland Avenue NE Suite 404
  • Washington D.C. 20002
  • Phone: (202) 543-4033
  • Email: cehn@cehn.org

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