Children and the Environment

Children, Environmental Hazards, and Stress: How Can Parents and Children Work Together to Cope?

When facing exposure or a possible exposure to hazardous substances in our environment, whether through hazardous materials in the water supply, airborne hazards, or mercury in fish, children and parents have to work together to reduce the associated stress. For children in this situation, states Dr. Pamela Tucker, Senior Medical Officer, Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, "stress largely comes from two sources: parental stress and disruption of their daily routines." Their symptoms are as real as those of adults and can include

sleep disturbances (e.g., resistance to bedtime, nightmares),
regressive behavior (i.e., acting younger than they are),
fears and anxiety (e.g., crying, dependent behavior),
problems in school (e.g., loss of interest, fighting), and
increased complaints about illness (e.g., stomach aches).

When stress occurs, parents need to talk with their children and explain to them what is happening; providing them with simple, accurate information. Also, parents need to keep their children’s routine as normal as possible. Other ways to manage stress include:

Talking with children about their feelings;
Establishing a familiar bedtime routine or leaving a nightlight turned on;
Providing verbal reassurances, or frequent attention;
Giving hugs or using touch as extra reassurance; and
Talking with teachers and school counselors about the situation and any problems.

According to Dr. Tucker, ATSDR has provided information and community workshops on how to cope with the stress of living near a hazardous waste site, having to be relocated because of environmental hazards, or having been exposed to hazardous substances. "The key objective of these activities," she states, "is to provide needed education on how to prevent children from having health effects from stress."

Adapted from the American Psychological Association

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ATSDR Partners With Kids for Saving Earth to Protect Children and the Environment From Hazardous Substances

Kids for Saving Earth (KSE) is a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring and empowering children, both nationally and internationally, to help protect the Earth’s environment. The organization was founded by Clinton Hill, a young boy, who could not understand or accept that people could so neglect their planet: the air, land, and water. Though Clinton died of cancer at the age of 11, during his short life, he, with the help of his parents, established KSE as the premier kids organization for peaceful Earth-saving actions. Today, Tessa Hill, Clint’s mother, is president of KSE, with an international network of 4,500 schools and environmentally concerned kids and adults. The organization provides action-oriented educational materials to kids, families, groups, classrooms, and schools. Many programs (e.g., the Children’s Forest, the Rainforest, the Rock the World Concert Kit and compact disc [CD], and the Wonderful World of Water) include educational posters, certificates, guidebooks, and CDs.

ATSDR recently sponsored a mailing of 4,000 packets to schools nationwide. KSE worked to ensure almost half of these packets were sent to schools located near Superfund sites. They contain a Teacher’s Action Guide, membership information, and newsletter, among other colorful, fun, informative materials. ATSDR and KSE are continuing to work together to develop materials to help provide children with engaging, nonthreatening, useable information on how to protect themselves from environmental hazards in their home, school, or on the playground. The basic membership in the KSE network is free and new members will receive environmental education materials and the KSE newsletter. For more information, contact Tessa Hill, President, KSE, P.O. Box 421118, Minneapolis, MN 55442; phone: (612) 559-1234; fax: (612) 559- 6980; e-mail: kseww@aol.com; or visit the KSE website: www.kidsforsavingearth.org.

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12 Steps Toward A Healthier School

	Pesticides. Pesticides are toxic and children should have as little exposure to these chemicals as possible. If a school must use pesticides, only the least toxic chemicals should be dispensed and by trained and licensed professionals. Parents and teachers should be notified a day in advance, and school buildings should be off limits until the pesticide residue is gone. Use of pesticides outside where children play should be avoided, unless truly needed.
	Art Supplies and Art Rooms. Because many art supplies are toxic and become airborne, art rooms should have proper ventilation. Proper ventilating systems should be installed to ensure enough outdoor air is circulating and contaminated air is not moving into other parts of the building.
	New Carpeting. New carpeting and carpet backing, should be required to be formaldehyde-free. As well, formaldehyde-free and non-toxic adhesives should be used for carpet installation. Formaldehyde is a respiratory irritant, a sensitizer to other chemicals, and a carcinogen.
	New Construction and Renovations. Any new school construction or renovation contract should include a requirement to use the least toxic, practical materials and to schedule work so that children and teachers are not at risk from compromised indoor air quality. Again in this situation, formaldehyde-containing woods, furniture, and carpeting should be avoided.
	Playground Equipment with Processed or Treated Wood. Processed or treated wood is impregnated with copper and arsenic to deter pest infestation and allow for it to be placed directly on or into the ground. However, the arsenic, in particular, leaches from the wood and is a human carcinogen. Because of this, playground equipment should not be made with this type of material. If a school already has equipment made out of processed wood, the surfaces should be painted to stop the arsenic from leaching. Children should not be exposed to processed wood that has not been sealed.
	Exhaust from Buses or Motor Vehicles. To avoid the possibility of incoming air being contaminated with diesel and car exhaust, buses or motor vehicles should not be allowed to idle near the air intake area of a school’s ventilating system. Children also should not be allowed to wait at bus stops where many buses are idling for long periods of time.
	Damp Areas and Areas of Damp Carpeting. Mold can grow in areas of dampness, and many children and adults are allergic to this mold. Molds also can cause asthma. Wet areas and damp carpeting should be remediated immediately.
	Cleaning Products Used by the School Janitorial Service. Cleaning products used should be the least toxic available to do the work that needs to be done.
	Chemistry Laboratories. Chemistry laboratories and other labs using hazardous materials should be properly ventilated. As well, safeguards should be taken to ensure fumes do not enter other parts of the building.
	Copy Machines. Because copy machines out-gas ozone they should be well ventilated. They should be placed in an open, well-ventilated location away from where people sit or work. Ozone is harmful to lung function.
	Testing for Radon and Lead. Schools should be tested for radon, a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas that emanates from rock and soil content in the ground. At high levels radon is considered to be a human lung carcinogen. A school’s drinking water should be tested for lead that could come from pipes with lead soldering.
	Tobacco Smoke. Schools should be smoke-free environments.
*Source:* Environment and Human Health, Inc.

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Announcements

Handbook of Pediatric Environmental Health

Edited by Ruth A. Etzel, MD. 355 pp, cloth, $44.95 (nonmember), $39.95 (member), American Academy of Pediatrics, Chicago, Illinois, October 1999. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is spear-heading a national effort to educate pediatricians about environmental hazards, promote research to better understand the effects of environmental exposures on children, and formulate public policies protective of children. As part of this effort, AAP published Handbook of Pediatric Environmental Health. This comprehensive handbook was written for pediatricians and other health providers who care for children to help them identify, reduce, and eliminate potential environ-mental hazards. The handbook features more than 30 chapters on prevention and treatment of childhood environmental health problems. ATSDR scientists Drs. Robert Amler, Susan Metcalf, Christine Rosheim, and Mary White contributed chapters to the new handbook. Topics include how to prevent exposure to nitrates and methemoglobinemia in infants, how to prevent mercury poisoning, how to prevent asthma attacks by reducing exposure to indoor and outdoor pollutants, how to respond to questions about multiple chemical sensitivity, and how to communicate risk to parents. Each chapter includes a list of frequently asked questions and responses, making this a handy desk reference for the busy clinician. To order: call the American Academy of Pediatrics at 1-888-227-1770 or for online access: http://www.aap.org.

Toward Environmental Justice: Research, Education, and Health Policy Needs

National Research Council, 137pp, hardbound, indexed, $37.95, ISBN: 0-309-06407-4, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1999. Produced by a committee of the National Research Council, Toward Environmental Justice examines this issue by identifying environmental hazards and assessing the risk for populations of varying ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. The text also looks at the need for methodologies that uniquely suit populations at risk. Areas explored in depth include disparities in health status; research methodologies for documenting exposure and susceptibility to environmental hazards; educating health professionals, community leaders, and the public about the proper channels to follow to deal with inequities and empower communities; and expanding the health policy process to include the science base, while also acknowledging its limitations. This publication also examines tactics to tighten the fragmented health policy on environmental justice and recommends methods of better coordination among federal, state, and local participants. To order: National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, D.C., 20055; phone: 1-800-624- 6242.

Environmental Practice: Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals

Environmental Practice, which premiered in summer 1999, is the new peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publication of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP), published by Oxford University Press. The intended audience for the journal is environmental practitioners in companies, agencies, and universities. It will cover news of issues and of the NAEP, original research articles, and other articles of interest to government agencies, corporations, private consultants, environmental institutions, and others. The focus will be both historical and contemporary environmental issues and concerns. To order: In the Americas: phone: 1-800- 852-7323 (USA and Canada), 1-919-677-0977; fax: 1-919-677-1714; e-mail: inlorders@oup-usa. org. Elsewhere: phone: +44 (0)1865 267907; fax: +44 (0) 1865 267835; e-mail: jnl.orders@oup.co.uk. Online access: www.oup-usa.org/journals

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This page last updated on April 17, 2002
Contact Name: Wilma López/ WLópez@cdc.gov