The State of Children's Environmental Health in California

With over 33 million residents, California's population exceeds that of any other U.S. state.¹ Not only does it have the largest economy in the U.S., but it would also rank as the 5th largest economy in the world when compared against other countries.² It boasts a wide array of industries, including timber, manufacturing, technology, entertainment and tourism.³ California leads the U.S. in both food and agriculture production and exports.⁴ Agriculture provides nearly one in every ten jobs, as well as over $100 billion in production and economic activity. The state also accounts for 15.5% of total U.S. exports.

With such a variety of booming industries, it is no surprise that this produces environmental threats that impact children. Because the health and safety of children are at stake, it is important to examine what is known about environmental exposures and health outcomes, as well as identify current policies in children's environmental health.

California Children: The Numbers
In California, children represent 9.4 million, or 29% of the state's total population.⁵ Nationally, one in eight children in the U.S. resides in California, a number that is projected to increase to one in five by the year 2025.⁶ Thus, the imperative to protect the health and well being of California's children is growing steadily.

While all children are at some risk from environmental health hazards, some remain more at-risk than others, including children of color and those living in lower income communities. These children typically bear a disproportionate risk of exposure to environmental contaminants. Studies have shown that they are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards from factories, landfills, hazardous waste facilities, as well as poor housing conditions. Twenty-three percent, or 2.12 million, of California's children live in poverty.⁷ In addition, California is culturally diverse, with a makeup of 48% White, 32% Latino, 13% Asian/Pacific Islander, 7% African American, and 1% Native American.⁸

Everyday Exposures
With such diversity in population and industry, California is faced with a medley of potentially harmful exposures. Contaminants are found in our air, water, land, food, and schools. They may have significant impacts on the health of all children no matter where they live or play.

Chemicals

• California uses one-fourth of all pesticides in the United States.⁹ Of the most toxic pesticides (carcinogens and reproductive toxins), carcinogens increased 127%, and reproductive toxins increased 20% between 1991 and 1995. The good news is that data showed pesticide use drop for the second consecutive year in 2000 - pesticide applications totaled about 188 million pounds, compared to 202 million pounds in 1999.¹⁰
• Among the top five chemicals released in California by volume are lead compounds and asbestos, a classified carcinogen.¹¹
• In 2000, there was a total of 75,609,346 pounds of all chemicals released in the state, with the majority originating from Los Angeles and Kings Counties.¹²

Air

• Particulate matter from industrial and automobile exhausts irritates the respiratory system and is suspected of contributing to an increased risk of cancer and higher rates of premature death.¹³
• One California study found that lower income communities and communities of color were more likely to be close to major transportation routes and as a result, be exposed to excessive levels of diesel and gasoline exhaust in the air they breathe.¹⁴

Water

• Pesticides were detected in 1,877 of California's groundwater wells and surface water sites in 46 of California's 58 counties over a ten-year period.¹⁵
• Methyltetrabutylether (MTBE), identified as a possible carcinogen, has been detected in 62 of California's drinking water sources.¹⁶

Schools

• Eighty-seven percent of California school districts report using a hazardous pesticide, yet few use effective integrated pest management strategies, and this continues to be a prominent issue in California schools. California's 15 largest school districts, where over 26% of the states public school children attend - anticipate using 54 very hazardous pesticide active ingredients.¹⁷
• Thirty-eight percent of California schools still contain lead-based paint, and 18% exceed EPA's limit on lead in drinking water.¹⁸

Health Outcomes
Everyday, California's children are faced with these environmental health risks in the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat. In some cases, as with lead poisoning, the connection between environmental hazards and a variety of harmful health outcomes is well understood and documented. In other cases, such as asthma, studies are still underway. In all cases, the science is clear enough to at least raise significant concerns. Below are some of the known and suspected areas of concern.

Lead Poisoning

• Nearly 130,000 of California's children, aged five and younger, suffer from lead poisoning.¹⁹
• Close to three million tons of lead remain in housing units built prior to 1980, a problem more pronounced in lower-income communities.²⁰

Asthma

• Approximately 600,000 children are afflicted with asthma, an increase of 160% since 1980.²¹
• In 1995, there were 42,333 asthma-related hospitalizations in California. Forty-two percent of these were among children under the age of 15.²²
• the incidence of asthma among African Americans, one in five children have been affected by asthma, a rate that is higher than that of Latinos, Asian Americans and whites.²³

Cancer

• Approximately 1,400 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year. On average, 300 of these children and teenagers die from the disease.²⁴
• Since 1973, the incidence of childhood cancer in California has increased nearly 11%.²⁵

Learning Disabilities

• Almost 345,000 students are classified as learning disabled in California.²⁶

Protecting Children: Policies in Practice
Realizing that children are especially susceptible to environmental health threats, California has taken several crucial steps to establish policies to alleviate these problems. Various government acts exist which protect our children's health from water pollution, toxic chemicals, lead poisoning, and the school environment.

• Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65)
  Passed in 1986, this act prohibits contamination of drinking water with chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Those who may be exposed to such hazards must be informed by the government.²⁷ In addition, the Governor must publish a list of known carcinogens and reproductive toxins, as well as a list of chemicals that require further testing for toxicity. As of November 2001, 648 chemicals had been regulated, including 436 carcinogens and 212 reproductive toxins.
• 1996 Federal Safe Drinking Water Act
  This act authorizes the start of a state loan program to improve the public water system's infrastructure and drinking water programs.²⁸ In 2000, the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection, and Flood Protection Act (Proposition 13) was passed. This act supplies bonds to promote cleaner drinking water by keeping it free of pollution and replacing old, deteriorating pipes and sewer systems.²⁹
• Lead Poisoning Act of 1991
  This act requires that the California Department of Health Services (DHS) develop a standard of care for lead poisoning, evaluate children for potential risk of lead poisoning, and screen high-risk children.³⁰ In addition, the Department is charged with proper case management for children diagnosed with lead poisoning or any related illness.
• Lead-Safe Schools Protection Act
  Passage of this act prohibits the use of lead-based paint, plumbing, and other potential sources of lead contamination in the construction or renovation of any school facility.³¹ Also, DHS must develop and implement a strategy for identifying high-risk schools and distribute these results to school authorities and parents.
• Environmental Justice Mission Statement
  Responding to the disproportionate environmental health risks faced by lower income communities or communities of color, the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a mandate to develop an environmental justice mission statement by the year 2001.³² Environmental justice is a movement that attempts to reduce the disparities that face individuals living in lower income communities. The California EPA's mission statement espouses the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and income levels. It delineates ways to ensure the enforcement of this policy, as well as improve research and data collection materials.
• School Siting
  This piece of legislation protects children from contamination that may exist where new schools are constructed. This allows for the funding of evaluation and removal of hazardous material on new school sites.³³
• Children's Environmental Health Protection Act
  California was one of the first states to pass legislation specifically setting standards for children. This law aims to protect children by increasing air quality safety.³⁴ It requires the State Air Resource Board to review existing ambient air quality standards by December 31, 2000, and they must revise any inadequate standards by December 2002. Another section calls for the establishment of a list of up to five contaminants that particularly harm infants and children, as well as a review and revision of standards to ensure that they are sufficiently protective of children. It also requires the South Coast Air Quality Management District to notify day care centers if air quality standards are exceeded and orders the creation of a Children's Environmental Health Center within the California EPA.
• 1998 Children and Families Act (Proposition 10)
  This act, among other things, mandates the use of some cigarette tax incomes for environmental health-related programs. These include programs to reduce prenatal exposure to pesticides and other toxins as well as promotes lead screening.³⁵

California has also shown its commitment to environmental health research by establishing an Environmental Health Investigations Branch and maintaining detailed cancer and birth defects registries. Such research can be highly beneficial in examining potential links between the environment and certain health problems.

Moving Towards a Better, Brighter Future
Because children comprise 29% of California's population, it is vital that we protect their health and well being. As noted, children's health can be compromised by numerous toxic chemical exposures in the environment. The existing policies are a commendable start, but there is still much work to be done. For example, all policies, standards, and regulations should be written and revised with children's special susceptibilities in mind, and not solely for adults.

With current advances in technology, it is plausible to discover safer alternatives to the toxic chemicals presently in use. Developing a statewide inventory that documents trends in exposures and diseases, such as asthma and learning disabilities, can encourage prevention and provide invaluable data on the distribution of diseases among different ethnic and income groups. Raising the awareness of environmental justice issues is significant, as is educating the public on children's environmental health. Only by making children's environmental health a priority for everyone can we protect and preserve the future of California's children.

Revised September 2002

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REFERENCES

¹ CA Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, (Census 2000)

² California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency, http://commerce.ca.gov/state/ttca/ttca_homepage.jsp

^3,4 California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency — International Trade and Investment Division, 2001

⁵ California: Children Now! Children are Watching Now (2002) www.childrennow.org/health/index.html

^{6, 7}Children Now! Snapshot of California, 2002, based on California County Data Book, 1997. Press Release, 2002

⁸ CA Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, 2001

⁹ Szasz, A., et al. "The Demographics of Proximity to Toxic Release: the Case of Los Angeles County." Presented at the 1993 meeting of the American Sociological Association, Miami, FL, 1993.

¹⁰ Pesticide Use Reports. Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Environmental Protection Agency, 1991-1998. Department of Pesticide Regulation, Press Release, 2001

^11,12 Environmental Protection Agency, Tri Explorer, 2000

¹³ Environmental Defense Scorecard, http://www.scorecard.org

¹⁴ "Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study in the South Coast Air Basin." South Coast Air Quality Management Division, Diamond Bar, CA.

^{15, 16} Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Database. California Department of Health Services; Well Inventory Database. Department of Pesticide Reform, California EPA; STORET database, U.S. EPA; NAQWA database, U.S. Geological Survey. California Environmental Protection Agency Strategic Vision, July 2000

¹⁷ Kaplan, J., et al. "Failing Health: Pesticide Use in California Schools." Californians for Pesticide Reform, San Francisco, CA, 1998. "'P' Is for Poison", Californians for Pesticide Reform, 2000. CalPirg, News Release, 2002, based on report, Learning Curve, 2002.

¹⁸ "Lead Hazards in California's Public Elementary Schools and Child Care Facilities." Report to the California State Legislature. California Department of Health Services, April 15, 1998.

¹⁹ "Department of Health Services: Has Made Little Progress in Protecting California's Children from Lead Poisoning." California State Auditor, April 1999.

²⁰ Statistical Abstract. U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992.

^{21, 22} California Environmental Protection Agency, Strategic Vision, July, 2000. "Asthma in California: Laying the Foundation for a Statewide Strategy." CPS Brief, August 1998.

²³ California Health Interview Survey, 2001

^{24, 25} California Cancer Registry, 2001

²⁶ Winger, P. Reading Initiative May Decrease Special Ed Referrals. The Special EDge, 12(2), Spring 1999.

²⁷ The Proposition 65 Handbook, http://prop65news.com/pubs/p65handbook/

²⁸ US Environmental Protection Agency, California Safe Drinking Water Act, 1996

²⁹ Proposition 13, http://primary2000.ss.ca.gov/VoterGuide/pdf/13.pdf

^{30, 31} California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, http://www.dhs.ca.gov/childlead/

³² SB 89

³³ AB 387

³⁴ SB 25

³⁵ California Children and Families Commission, http://www.ccfc.ca.gov