United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 6
-WQ-CO
EPA 906-K-99-003
OCTOBER 1999
HAZARDS
fEY'RE
OUT THERE ...
~ -I
E-Hazards...what are they...
and what can we do about them?
This booklet will help you identify
everyday environmental health
threats to children and provide
useful tips and cautions.
A companion
to the video,
E-Hazards:
They're Out
There...
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AZARDS
Why do we need to be concerned about environmental health
threats to children?
Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental health
risks because:
/\ Children are more susceptible to environmental threats.
^^ Children's systems are still developing - including rapid
changes in growth and development, immature body organs
and tissues, and weaker immune systems in infancy.
Children are at greater risk from environmental threats.
Pound-for-pound, children breathe more air, drink more
water, and eat more food than adults. They also play outside
more; therefore, they are more exposed to whatever toxins
are present.
Children are exposed to different environmental hazards.
Children are least able to protect themselves since they may
not recognize an environmental health threat when they see
one. Additionally, their natural curiosity and tendency to
explore leaves them open to health risks adults can easily
avoid.
Children are most at risk because they have fewer
experiences in life than adults. Their limited reasoning
abilities and knowledge may cause them to make poor
decisions that expose them to risk.
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Household Products
What are some of the products I should particularly notice?
Be sure to read the warning labels on containers of solvents,
paint, paint strippers, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, moth
repellants, air fresheners, stored fuels, automotive products,
hobby supplies, pesticides, cleaners and disinfectants... to name
a few.
How can household products affect children's health?
Short-term effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation;
nausea, and headaches.
Long-term exposure can damage to the liver, the
kidneys, and the central nervous system.
What can I do to protect my family?
A Recognize and be aware of any warning labels.
.* Exercise caution when using these products. Don't
allow young children to use them.
4K Use these products only for their intended purpose
and according to manufacturer's instructions.
A Use in well-ventilated areas.
A Keep in original container.
* Choose products packaged to reduce spills, leaks and
child tampering.
* Clean up household product spills immediately.
,» Attend a local recycle campaign and properly
dispose of all dangerous products.
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Are there ways I can reduce my need for the products?
AL Quickly attend to spills and stains so that you may not
need strong products.
* Control excess moisture (such as standing water from
air-conditioner drains or refrigerator drip pans) and fix
leaks, drips and seepage problems. By controlling the
source, you do not need to clean up a problem.
A Consider using "natural" or "alternative" products, such
as vinegar or baking soda.
Products which may be labeled "environmentally safe" may
still be a health hazard. Any product that evaporates into the
air has the potential to be an indoor air pollutant, depending
on the quantity used, the method of use, the product's
toxicity, and the sensitivity of the user.
Secondhand
Tobacco Smoke
What is secondhand smoke?
Secondhand smoke, or Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a
cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled from the lungs
of smokers. This mixture contains more than 4,000 substances,
at least 40 of which cause cancer in people and animals.
Exposure to secondhand smoke is also called involuntary
smoking, or passive smoking.
Secondhand smoke is a serious health risk to children.
Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have:
A Reduced lung function;
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£ Symptoms of respiratory irritation like cough,
excess phlegm, and wheezing.
* A buildup of fluid in the middle ear (the most
common cause of children's operations);
•*, The potential to develop asthma.
Asthmatic children are especially at risk. EPA estimates
that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the number of
episodes and severity of symptoms in hundreds of thousands
of asthmatic children. Asthma cases are rising steadily.
What can I do to reduce my family's risk from secondhand
smoke?
VA Do not smoke in your house or permit others to do so.
A If someone insists on smoking indoors or in the car,
increase ventilation in the area where the smoking takes
place - open windows or use exhaust fans.
£. Do not smoke if children are present, particularly infants
and toddlers. They are especially susceptible to the
effects of passive smoking.
*, Ensure that child care centers are smoke-free.
Pesticides
Whether it's ants in the kitchen or weeds in the vegetable
garden, pests can be annoying and bothersome. At the same
time, the pesticides we use to control them can also cause
problems. Human health concerns arise through direct
exposure to the pesticides as well as exposure via residues on
food.
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How can pesticides affect children's health?
Immediate effects may include nausea, vomiting, seizures,
and shortness of breath.
Long-term effects may include neurological and
reproductive disorders, birth defects, asthma, and cancer.
What can I do to protect my family?
Using a number of simple strategies, we can have beautiful
lawns and gardens, and relatively pest-free homes without
endangering our children.
Outdoors
-* "Get down & dirty." Weed by hand.
A Attract beneficial insects (praying mantises and lady
bugs will eat the bugs that eat your plants).
jt. When all else fails, use the least toxic chemical
controls.
,t If you use pesticides, follow the label directions.
,n To help reduce pesticides in foods, wash or scrub
produce under running water, peel off the skin or
outer leaves, and use organic fruits and vegetables.
For information on proper management of your lawn
and garden, contact a certified nursery, horticulture
association or county extension agent.
Indoors
*. Avoid attracting pests. (They are attracted to food,
water, and places to hide.)
4 Use bait type pesticide if you can.
4. Think Safety: Apply in a well-ventilated area and at
a time when children are not around (i.e. at night on
weekends, etc.), and keep kids away from treated
areas.
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Cockroaches
,*, Keep food in airtight containers.
A. Plug cracks around baseboards, walls, and pipes.
A Repair leaky pipes and faucets.
A Avoid leaving standing water in your house and
cover bars of soap; roaches are attracted to both.
Ants
i- Use pastes, baits, or traps with bait.
Flies
4 Keep screens over windows. If no screens are
available, close your windows before it gets sunny.
Fleas 5
A Wash your pets with soap and comb them
regularly with a flea comb.
A, Vacuum your house and wash your pet's
bedding every two weeks before the eggs
have time to hatch.
There are alternatives to pesticides. For example,
squeeze lemon juice at the place of entry to keep ants
away, swat flies with a fly swatter instead of using a
spray to kill flies, and diatomaceous earth is an
effective non-pesticide deterrent for some pests.
Be sure to store pesticides safely, out of children's
reach.
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Overexposure
To Ultraviolet Light
Overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays seriously
threatens human health. Besides the immediate and dangerous
sunburn, continued, long-term exposure to UV radiation can
cause skin cancer, eye damage (including cataracts), immune
system suppression, and premature aging of skin.
Who is susceptible to harmful UV radiation? Everyone,
whether you are light or dark skinned.
What can I do to protect my family?
JL Pay attention to the UV Index daily. Plan indoor
activities for children on high UV days.
*. Educate yourself on stratospheric ozone, ozone
depletion, and UV radiation.
jt Wear sun-screen (highest SPF factor).
A Wear protective clothing (hats with brims, sunglasses,
long pants, and long sleeve shirts) if you have to be out.
A-. Try to stay in shaded or covered areas.
Y_ Teach children sun safety.
a. Keep out of the sun when UV rays are most harmful
(10:00 am-4:00 pm).
Children are highly susceptible to harmful UV radiation, since
80% of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. Just
one or two blistering sunburns in childhood may double the
risk of developing melanoma, the most serious form of skin
cancer. Even repeated, gradual suntanning increases the risk
of developing other forms of skin cancer.
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Lead
Approximately 900,000 children in the United States between
the ages of one and five have high levels of lead in their blood.
Exposure to lead can be through air, food, drinking water, and
contaminated soil and dust. Most homes built before 1960
contain heavily leaded paint. Most well or city water does not
contain lead, but water can pick up lead inside your home from
household plumbing that is made with lead materials. Children
can swallow lead or breathe lead contaminated dust if they play
in dust or dirt and put their fingers in their mouths. Because it
does not break down naturally, lead can remain a problem until
it is removed.
How does lead affect children's health?
The long-term effects can be severe: learning disabilities,
decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, and even
brain damage. If caught early, these effects can be limited by
reducing exposure to lead or by medical treatment. The good
news is that there are simple things you can do to help protect
your family.
What can I do to protect my family?
*, Get kids tested for blood levels. (See your local health
department for free testing).
•T- Keep toys and play surfaces clean. Ordinary dust and
dirt may contain lead.
? Reduce the risk from lead paint - Make sure your child
does not chew on anything covered with lead paint, such
as painted window sills, cribs, or playpens. Keep painted
surfaces, particularly in older homes, in good shape.
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Don't remove lead paint yourself. (These activities gen-
erate large amounts of lead dust.) Ask your local state health
department for state certified contractors. Hire a person
with special training for correcting lead paint problems.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that
children be tested for the first time when they are a year
old, or at six months if you think your home has lead in it,
if you live in an older building, or if you live near a metal
smelter. Ask your doctor or local health office.
A Don't bring lead dust into your home.
* If you work with lead in your job or as a hobby, change
clothes before you go home and remove your shoes
before you go in. You should wash your clothes
separately from your children's clothes - and run a
cycle to rinse out the washing machine.
-T Encourage your children to play in sand or grassy
areas instead of dirt, which sticks to fingers and toys,
especially around older buildings. Keep children
from eating dirt, and make sure they wash their
hands when they come inside and before eating.
.*. Get lead out of drinking water. Boiling water will not
reduce the amount of lead. Bathing is not a problem
because lead does not enter the body through skin
absorption (just don't drink the bath water!).
* Contact your local health department or your water
supplier to see how to get your tap water tested.
"• If your water contains lead:
» Use cold water to cook, not hot water.
* Run the cold water for 30-60 seconds before
drinking or using it for cooking.
.T Use bottled water to make baby formula.
* If you have concerns about lead contamination,
consider buying a certified filter for lead removal.
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i? Prevent lead from entering foods:
* Don't store food or liquids in lead crystal glassware.
* If you reuse plastic bags to store or carry food, keep
the printing side out.
r Do not store food in opened metal cans.
v, Don't cook or store food in glazed pottery unless you
know for certain that they are lead free.
&• Eat right. A child who gets enough iron and calcium
will absorb less lead. Foods rich in iron include eggs,
lean red meat, and beans. Dairy products are high in
calcium and so are some fruits like figs and oranges.
To protect families from exposure to lead from paint,
dust, and soils, Congress passed the Residential Lead
Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. Sellers and
landlords must disclose known lead-based paint and
lead-based paint hazards before the sale or lease of
most housing built before 1978.
Contaminated
Water
Drinking water in the United States is safe for most healthy
adults and children; contamination of drinking water is rare.
However, outbreaks of waterborne illnesses, such as
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those caused by Ciyptosporidium, may occur. EPA is currently
developing more stringent standards to further reduce the low
rate of waterborne disease.
Swimmers may contact disease-causing organisms in
sewage-contaminated surface water, which may cause
hepatitis, dysentery, and gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as
fever and ear infections. Bodies of water (lakes, ponds or
streams) and their sediments also may be contaminated with
toxic substances, such as PCBs and heavy metals.
Fish Consumption If pregnant women and children eat fish
from contaminated waters, the contaminants may cause serious
health effects, such as cancer, birth defects, and nervous system
damage.
What can I do to protect my family?
Drinking Water
Clear water doesn't mean clean water. Clear water can have
enough chemical or biological contaminants to make people
very sick, or even cause death.
A Only drink water from the tap - don't drink water from
streams, lakes, standing puddles, or a garden hose.
it. Ask your local community water system if there are any
harmful contaminants found in your drinking water.
A. Follow health and safety advisories.
Swimming
Swim in properly maintained pools when possible. Exposure
to health threats can come from both contact with contaminated
water, and from ingestion of it. If you are not sure about the
water quality:
A, Hold your nose or use plugs when jumping into the water.
A. Wash open cuts and scrapes with clean water and soap
after swimming.
A Avoid swallowing water when swimming.
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*, Use ear plugs, swimming goggles or masks if you tend
to get ear or eye infections.
f_ Observe beach & lake closures and never swim in stagnant
or polluted areas or where water temperature is high.
Fish Consumption
Don't eat fish from areas with posted warnings, or from water
that looks or smells as if it may be polluted. Water bodies may
be contaminated by spills that authorities don't know about.
Any suspicious water conditions (looks or smells bad) should
be reported to local or state health authorities at once.
How do 1 find out if I can swim in, or eat the fish from,
my river or lake? Contact your state health agency.
Ozone
Air Polution
High levels of ground-level ozone air pollution appear to cause
approximately 50,000 emergency room visits a year and 15,000
hospitalizations for respiratory problems. The American Lung
Association reports that children and people with asthma and
other respiratory conditions are at elevated risk for acute and
chronic health problems from ozone.
How can ground level ozone affect children's health?
Ozone levels above the national health-based standards can
cause chest pain, watery eyes, shortness of breath, and can
aggravate lung/respiratory conditions such as asthma. Children
are more sensitive to even low levels of ozone and particulates
than adults and are more likely to get sick.
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What can I do to protect my family?
A Be informed and pay attention to the ozone alerts.
A Limit outside activities during peak ozone hours.
A Be aware of children's sensitivities (asthma, chronic
lung disease) and seek treatment. Alert coaches,
teachers, child care providers, and camp counselors of
their higher risk.
How can I improve the air quality?
Help limit ozone pollution formation:
A. Cut gasoline emissions by sharing rides to school, using
public transportation, bicycling, skating or walking.
A Recycle paper, metal, glass and plastic.
A Don't use gas-powered lawn equipment in the morning
or mid-day hours on ozone alert days.
A Refuel vehicles in the evening on ozone alert days and
don't top-off the tank. Avoid unnecessary idling and
keep the car well-tuned and the tires properly inflated.
There are two types of ozone. One occurs naturally,
high in the atmosphere and protects us from harmful
solar radiation. The other occurs near the ground,
forming when sunlight reacts with pollutants emitted by
cars, trucks, industrial processes, etc. The ground level
ozone can be harmful to human health.
Radon
What is Radon? How can it enter my home?
Radon is an odorless, colorless radioactive gas that is present in
most of the soil and rock around the world.
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Because radon is a gas, it can move up through the ground and
seep into your home through cracks in the foundation and
openings around sump pumps, pipes, and drains. Sometimes
radon enters the home through well water. Your home traps
radon inside, where it can build up.
How does radon affect children's health?
Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped
in their lungs. These radioactive particles can damage tissue
and lead to lung cancer. Smoking combined with radon
exposure is an even greater health risk.
What can I do if my home has unhealthy levels of radon?
-i, Seal cracks and other openings in the basement or
ground floor.
j-.. Eliminate smoking from your home.
A, Aerate or filter well water through granular activated
charcoal.
-•*. Get professional advice on planning radon reduction
measures.
* Use a qualified contractor to draw up and implement a
radon mitigation plan, if this becomes necessary.
-f\ If you are having a new home built in an area with high
levels of radon, incorporate radon-resistant features into
the construction.
How do I know if there is radon buildup in my home?
The only way to know is to have your home tested. If
your water comes from a well, have it tested also.
There are many do-it-yourself kits you can buy at retail
stores or through the mail (just make sure they meet
EPA s qualifications for radon measurements). Contact
EPA s radon hotline, your local Extension Office, or
your state's health department for more information..
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Asbestos
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral that, when mined and processed, takes
the form of very small fibers which are usually invisible to the
naked eye. It was mostly used in schools as insulation and in
other building materials. It was also used in floor and ceiling
tile, cement pipe, corrugated paper-pipe wrap, acoustic ceiling
tile, decorative insulation, and spray-applied fireproofing.
Asbestos became a popular commercial product because it was
strong, wouldn't burn, resisted corrosion, and insulated well.
The peak years of asbestos use were from WWII until the
1980's, when many manufacturers voluntarily got out of the
asbestos business because of growing concerns about health
effects. Asbestos remains legal to use today in over 3,000
different products.
When is asbestos a problem?
Intact and undisturbed, asbestos materials generally do not
pose a health risk. Asbestos materials, however, can become
hazardous when, due to damage or deterioration over time,
they release fibers. If the fibers are inhaled, they can lead to
health problems.
How can asbestos affect children's health?
It can disrupt the normal functioning of the lungs. Three
specific diseases - asbestosis, lung cancer, and another cancer
known as mesothelioma have been linked to asbestos fibers,
but it may be 20 years or more before symptoms appear.
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How can I protect my family?
*. Ask for professional advice when seeking out
information on identification and remedying asbestos
problems.
-i- Do not disturb asbestos-containing materials. Leave
undamaged materials alone and try to prevent them from
being disturbed, damaged, or touched. Frequently
inspect materials for damage and signs of deterioration.
.*, Hire a trained professional when removing asbestos.
A Learn about your school's or child care center's
asbestos activities. Find out if they have identified
asbestos-containing materials and if they have prepared
an asbestos management plan. Encourage them to carry
out the management plan.
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A Message to Parents and Teachers:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made
children's health issues a priority in our agency's work. We
recognize children face complex environmental threats from a
range of hazards found commonly found in our homes, com-
munities, and everyday surroundings. We all play an important
part in ensuring that children receive the education, awareness,
and protection they deserve. Together, we can reduce their risk.
Thank you in advance for sharing this information with your
children.
E Hazards: They're Out There...
The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6
EPA906-K-99-003
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