Skip directly to: content | left navigation | search
  1. NCEH ›
  2. Office of Global Health ›
  3. Signature Programs ›
  4. US - Mexico Border Activities

US - Mexico Border Activities

    Flags of the United States and Mexico







    NCEH/ATSDR participates in a number of initiatives aimed at protecting the health of those living in the border region. These include:

    • Environmental Health Work Group

      This work group, which includes representation from Mexico and the US Environmental Protection Agency, began in 1983. The US Department of Health and Human Services has been included since 1996. Functions of the work group include coordination of efforts with Border 2012 regional environmental health taskforces and reaching consensus on border-wide priorities for year 2007 and beyond. (Border 2012 is a 10-year, binational, environmental program for the US-Mexico border region).
    • Environmental Health Indicators Initiative

      This initiative involes the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Pan American Health Organization, and CDC. The purpose is to promote binational pilot projects to identify health indicators. Two projects were funded for the fall of 2006. One is a binational study of the impact of traffic-related air pollution on asthmatic children. The other will study the effect of waste tire removal on risk for dengue fever infection.
    • Border Indicators Task Force

      The task force focuses on Goal 4 of Border 2012, “Improve Environmental Health”. The task force is defining indicators to measure improvements in health and the environment, using available data. A draftdocument on these indicators, entitled “Border 2012: US-Mexico Environmental Program Indicators Report”, has been open for comment since February, 2006.
    • Good Neighbor Environmental Board

      The Good Neighbor Environmental Board is an independent federal advisory committee. Its mission is to advise the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. Its recommendations are focused on environmental infrastructure needs within the U.S. states contiguous to Mexico. The board's year 2006 report will be the board's 10th report. This report, entitled "Border Security and Environmental Health Issues," will focus on hazardous materials crossings and spills, and extent to which security measures make tracking / protection / emergency response more difficult.
    • Border Health Commission

      The Commission includes all health departments on both sides of the border. The commission is currently addressing lead poisoning prevention through attention to lead in candy and in pottery.

Visit the US - Mexico Border Environmental Health web site

top