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At EPA we understand that children are not little adults. Pound for pound, children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than adults. Children also have unique behaviors: they spend more time close to the ground and more time outdoors than adults. And we all know that babies and toddlers put nearly everything in their mouths.

These behaviors put kids at risk for higher exposures to chemicals. Many of their natural defense mechanisms are not fully developed, so exposures during these early life-stages – as well as maternal and prenatal exposures – can have lifelong health impacts.

As the Director of EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection, I am proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our office.  To help implement the Presidential Executive Order Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks, the Office of Children’s Health Protection is involved in rulemaking, policy, and research that involves children’s environmental health. Our staff provide health risk assessment expertise to make sure potential regulations and policies address disproportionate risks to children. Since its inception in 1997, OCHP has supported children’s environmental health in homes, schools, and daycare centers by developing and providing information and tools for parents, teachers, and daycare providers.

If you’re a parent, take a look around your home. If you have young children, you’ve probably installed cabinet locks to keep curious little ones away from cleaning supplies or gates to keep crawlers away from stairs. But have you considered whether you are keeping your kids safe from pesticides, paint, or indoor air pollutants?

Keep cleaning or disinfecting products away from your children, who should not use them and always read the label and follow the directions for use. The same goes for pesticides like insect repellents; EPA requires instructions on each pesticide label for how to use them. To limit pests in your home and yard, consider using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. IPM relies on a combination of approaches, including prevention and using pesticides only as a last resort.

Children may be exposed to lead through old paint in homes built before 1978, water, lead-contaminated soil or even some cultural products. Lead is especially dangerous for children under 6 years old, as their developing brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

The good news is lead exposure is preventable. Learn more about ways to protect your family from sources of lead. You can consult a certified lead professional to test your home for lead. And there are other simple ways you can reduce your family’s risk of lead exposure, like keeping painted surfaces in good condition and taking cleaning actions to reduce paint chips and dust. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider if you think your children may have been exposed to lead – a simple blood test can detect lead.

If you have a child with asthma, there are steps you can take in your home to reduce the likelihood of asthma attacks. Take a look at EPA’s asthma resources for parents and kids to help your child gain control over their asthma and learn how to make your home asthma-safe. We even have coloring pages and storybooks for kids! Many common hazards found in homes – poor air quality, secondhand smoke, pests, pesticides and disinfectants, mold, and dust mites – are asthma triggers. Simple steps can help you gain control of asthma triggers in your home.

In addition to making sure schools and classrooms are safe using the tips above for parents, EPA has a range of resources specifically for schools and childcare providers.

EPA has resources for schools to help assess their current environmental health and reduce and prevent exposures to common environmental health hazards in schools. You can also teach about environmental health in the classroom. An EPA-developed curriculum, Recipes for Healthy Kids and a Healthy Environment, teaches pre-teens how to protect themselves and their communities from environmental health hazards and shows them how to become environmental health champions in their communities. More recently, EPA released Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy!, a curriculum to teach Tribal parents and caregivers about lead.

For childcare providers looking at where to open a new childcare facility, EPA has resources to help meet you where you are. Learn about different exposures and what you can do in childcare facilities, including asthma management, green cleaning, and safe pest management. There are also on-demand trainings and webinars on environmental health for childcare providers on a range of topics.

Protecting children now ensures that we protect future generations. After all, kids comprise nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, but they are 100% of the nation’s future – and many environmental exposures in childhood can have lifelong health impacts.

Twenty-five years ago, on April 23, 1997, President William J. Clinton signed Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. Recognizing that children may suffer disproportionately from environmental health risks due to their still developing bodies, unique behaviors, and the fact that children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults, EO 13045 required the Federal government to “ensure that its policies, programs, activities, and standards address disproportionate risks to children that result from environmental health or safety risks.” To help implement the EO, in May 1997, EPA established the Office of Children’s  Health Protection. In October 2021, Administrator Regan updated EPA’s children’s health policy to recognize the impact of climate change on children’s environmental health, and to acknowledge the importance of protecting children in underserved and under resourced communities who are more likely to be exposed and have disproportionately harmful impacts from their exposures.

Jeanne Briskin Director Office of Children's Health Protection

Jeanne brings a wealth of experience and expertise to children's health, having worked in many programs across the agency, including as director of the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center in the Office of General Counsel, ORD, OW and OAR.

Jeanne holds a BA in Chemistry and Environmental Studies from Northwestern University and a MS in Technology and Policy from MIT.

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