Children's Environmental Health Center

Four images of diverse children

Protecting the health and future of our children is important to all Californians. The Children’s Environmental Health Center (CEHC) was established in the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) by the Children’s Environmental Health Protection Act (Escutia, Chapter 731, Statutes of 1999) to ensure that CalEPA’s programs specifically protect children’s health in California. In 2012, OEHHA was designated as the lead agency to coordinate and manage the CEHC. The Children’s Environmental Health Center serves as a resource for CalEPA and the State of California, performs outreach and education for the medical and public health community as well as for the general public, and coordinates with the CalEPA boards and departments to promote policies and efforts that protect children’s health. 

Children can be more affected by environmental chemicals than adults. They eat, drink, and breathe more per pound of body weight than adults. Thus, children’s exposures to contaminants in our air, water, and food are higher than an adult in the same setting. Because children are still growing and developing, they can be more sensitive to the adverse health effects of chemicals than an adult. In some cases, the effects are irreversible. It is increasingly recognized that exposures early in life affect adult health. Thus, the work of the CalEPA Boards, Departments and Offices (BDOs) to reduce children’s exposures to environmental chemicals benefits people throughout their lifetime. 

Key CEHC Activities

 

Children’s Environmental Health Resources

Other OEHHA efforts relating to children's health include:

Children's Health News

01/10/2012: OEHHA and the Children's Environmental Health Program
CalEPA named OEHHA the lead entity to coordinate and manage the Children's Environmental Health Program, with activities to include conducting symposia and periodically preparing reports on children's health and environmental chemical issues, as well as supervising and training environmental medicine and pediatric residents to address environmental chemical issues.
02/05/2008: Adulterated Candy: Maximum Allowable Lead Levels. Notice of Public Workshops to Receive Information Relevant to the Development of Standards for Lead in Candy Wrappers & for the Naturally-Occurring Level of Lead in Candies Flavored with Tamarind or Chili
Adulterated Candy: Maximum Allowable Lead Levels. Notice of Public Workshops to Receive Information Relevant to the Development of Standards for Lead in Candy Wrappers and for the Naturally-Occurring Level of Lead in Candies Flavored with Tamarind or Chili

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