Children's Health Protection
Protecting children from environmental risks is fundamental to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to make the world a healthier place, now and for future generations. Children make up almost 25% of the population in Region 4. They need clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, safe food to eat, and a healthy environment in which to learn, grow and thrive. Yet every day they are exposed to environmental risks that may stand in the way of those basic necessities. Children may be even more vulnerable to some environmental risks than adults for several reasons:
- children's nervous, immune, digestive, and other systems are still developing;
- children eat more food, drink more fluids, and breathe more air in proportion to their body weight than adults; and
- children's behavior--such as crawling and placing objects in their mouths--may result in greater exposure to environmental contaminants.
The links below will direct you to information about Region 4 Environmental Health activities and programs specifically for children, ongoing research endeavors and resources available to the public. To learn more about the Region 4 Children's Health program, contact Wayne Garfinkel at 404-562-8982 or via email at Garfinkel.Wayne@EPA.gov.