Clean Air Council's Work to Protect Children's Health

For more information on any of these programs, contact Aaron Firestone at 215-567-4004, ext. 123, or firestone@cleanair.org

CEH Resource Center
Clean Air Council maintains a Children's Environmental Health Resource Center providing educational materials to Pennsylvania parents, childcare providers, and policy makers.

Union Outreach
Clean Air Council is working with Pennsylvania Labor to address the special consideration that needs to be given to children whose parents are exposed to environmental health hazards at the worksite. The Council has made presentations to general membership meetings and has worked with health and safety leaders. For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Aaron Firestone at 215-567-4004 ext. 123.

Mercury
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and Clean Air Council is taking special steps to reduce mercury pollution and to educate community members about reducing their risks. The Council has programs to reduce mercury from coal-fired power plants, end-of-life automobiles, thermometers, dental offices, and thermostats.

Pesticide Notification Act
Clean Air Council and other area organizations won a major victory with the passage of the Pesticide Notification Act. The law took effect on January 1, 2003, and is a significant step to reducing childhood exposure to pesticides in public schools. The law will requires that all public schools:

• Adopt the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the least toxic way to control pests.
  
  
• Prohibit pesticide applications when students are present in the school building or on the school grounds for seven hours
  
  
• Give parents who request it advance notification of pesticide applications in school buildings or on school grounds.
  

Passage of the bill was the result of a statewide grassroots effort led by a coalition of organizations of which Clean Air Council was part.

Children's Environmental Health Commission
Clean Air Council staff lobbied State legislators to encourage the formation of a Children's Environmental Health Commission to review laws with an eye to children's health.