Policy & Advocacy
Children's Health and the Environment Backgrounder, February 2012
Children's Health and the Environment Backgrounder, February 2012
Children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental hazards and toxic exposures because of their developing bodies, behaviors, and smaller size. Early-life exposures including prenatal contact increase lifetime risk for asthma, certain cancers, learning disabilities, and other developmental harms. Air pollutants and toxins cause disproportionate harm to children, with the greatest burdens falling on children in poverty and children of color who face higher rates of lead poisoning and asthma-related illness.
Moral case for Catholic engagement
As Catholics we are called to protect God’s creation and defend the most vulnerable. The Church frames environmental threats to children as a justice issue, urging the Catholic community to learn, care, and act to safeguard children’s right to life, health, and flourishing.
Background and recent developments
A coalition of Catholic organizations formed the Catholic Coalition for Children and a Safe Environment to coordinate education, advocacy, and research. The USCCB and partners have supported research such as the National Children’s Study to track environmental impacts on children from before birth through early adulthood. In 2011 the EPA proposed, and in December 2011 finalized, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to reduce mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from power plants, a policy the USCCB supported as critical for protecting unborn children and young children.
The U.S. bishops and Catholic partners seek stronger policies to prevent toxic exposures that harm children. They endorse national standards to cut hazardous emissions from power plants and support sustained research and public health efforts to identify and reduce environmental threats to children.
Recommended actions:
- Urge Congress not to delay or overturn Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and to fund their implementation.
- Advocate for continued funding for longitudinal research like the National Children’s Study.
- Press local and state authorities to fund measures that ensure schools and child environments are free from health hazards.