Bill Text: CA AR68 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to Children’s Environmental Health Month 2021.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 53-18-1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-09-01 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2662.). [AR68 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AR68-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 68
| Introduced by Assembly Member Reyes |
August 17, 2021 |
Relative to Children’s Environmental Health Month 2021.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 68, as introduced, Reyes.
Digest Key
Bill Text
WHEREAS, Our children are California’s future and are especially vulnerable to environmental health issues because they are physiologically very different from adults and are in a dynamic state of growth. From birth through young adulthood, children experience rapid physiological growth, and their systems absorb more toxins in proportion to their body weight than do adults’ systems. Children also have higher metabolic rates than do adults, and relative to body size, children eat and drink more food and liquid than their full-grown counterparts. Children also have unique behavior and activity patterns. They live and play much closer to the ground than do adults, and are therefore exposed differently to toxins; and
WHEREAS, All children are affected by environmental hazards because different kinds of pollution can be found throughout our state. Contaminants are transported through many media, including air, water, soil, and food and are absorbed by children when they breathe, drink, eat, and touch the contaminated media. Children’s exposure to these toxins can harm their health; and
WHEREAS, Recent scientific research by the University of California, Los Angeles, documents that certain pesticides are linked to increased rates of childhood cancers and brain tumors in the children of women who lived, during pregnancy, within two and one-half miles of fields treated with any amount of those pesticides; and
WHEREAS, Studies performed by the California Air Resources Board found that children exposed to air pollution suffered decreased lung function and development and were more prone to developing asthma and bronchitis, illnesses that can stay with children their entire lives and even shorten their lifespans; and
WHEREAS, Another example of an environmental hazard that harms children is lead exposure. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that there is no safe level of lead in children, and the State Department of Public Health reports that lead exposure can cause learning, behavioral, and attention difficulties in children, and nervous system and organ damage. Exposure to high levels of lead can be fatal; and
WHEREAS, It is an established fact that children from low-income communities and communities of color are at disproportionate risk for exposure to environmental hazards; and
WHEREAS, Nationally, the United States has experienced worrisome increases in certain childhood diseases, disorders, and health problems, including asthma, cancer, autism, and obesity. Researchers are documenting to what degree these increases are linked to environmental exposures; and
WHEREAS, The aim of Children’s Environmental Health Month is to raise awareness about the importance of ensuring clean air and water, safe food and consumer products, and healthy environments during a child’s development and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Children’s Environmental Health Day was created by the Children’s Environmental Health Network and celebrated nationally since October 13, 2016; and
WHEREAS, Children’s Environmental Health Month is a national and statewide effort supported by individuals, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies, and was first recognized by the California Legislature in 2019; and
WHEREAS, Children’s Environmental Health Month encourages individuals and organizations to raise awareness and understanding of children’s environmental health issues, seek improved protections for children, and perform acts of sustainability or environmental health wellness; and
WHEREAS, Together, we can safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of our children, who are our most precious resource; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly proclaims October 2021 as Children’s Environmental Health Month, and affirms that all children have a right to clean air and water, safer food and products, and healthy environments; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
