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Council on Environmental Health

Mission

The Council on Environmental Health (COEH) advises the Board of Directors on issues pertaining to environmental health and toxic exposure. Council-authored policy statements address issues such as radiation disasters, air pollution, lead screening, and secondhand smoke. The council supports legislative initiatives designed to protect the health of the fetus, infant, and child from debilitating or hazardous environmental agents. The council also leads educational initiatives related to children's environmental health, including development of the Academy's landmark Pediatric Environmental Health manual, currently in its second edition.

Council on Environmental Health Membership

The Council on Environmental Health is the home for AAP members interested in and concerned about pediatric environmental health. Membership is currently open to all AAP Fellows and Residents located in the US and Canada. The Council is led by a nine-member Executive Committee, elected by and from within the general Council membership.

If you are interested in supporting and becoming involved in the Academy's education, networking, and advocacy efforts related to children's environmental health, please consider joining the Council. The Council's annual dues are $30; the application form can be access here.

Questions? Please contact Paul Spire at pspire@aap.org for additional details.

Current AAP Policy Statements Authored by the COEH

Recent "Hot Topics" on AAP.org

Recent Environmental Health-Related Articles in "AAP News"

Council on Environmental Health Newsletters

Pediatric Environmental Health, Second Edition
by American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health
Edited by Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD and Sophie J. Balk, MD

The comprehensive AAP guide to the identification, prevention, and treatment of pediatric environmental health problems puts answers to parents' questions at your fingertips. Environmental hazards are among parents top health concerns for their children. Yet little time is spent training physicians and other caregivers to recognize, prevent, and treat ailments resulting from exposure to harmful substances and environments. Chapters address air pollution, mercury, waste sites, environmental tobacco smoke, DEET use and other pesticides, and dozens of additional topics. Please click here for a complete list of chapters.

One free copy is available to full Fellows upon request while supplies last. To order your free copy, call toll-free (866) The-AAP1 (866-843-2271). Thanks to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the US Environmental Protection Agency for their generous support, which assists in the dissemination of this publication.

Those not qualifying for a complimentary copy may purchase the book at the AAP Online Bookstore or by calling 866-843-2271.

Patient Education Brochures

The following Environmental Health-related AAP Patient Education Brochures are available for purchase in bulk quantities by contacting the AAP Bookstore online or by phone at 888-227-1770:

Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence for Children
AAP Tobacco Initiative

The AAP received a major grant from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) for planning and establishing a Center of Excellence to prevent children's exposure to second hand tobacco smoke. The five-year grant for the AAP Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence for Children was announced at FAMRI's Fifth Scientific Symposium in Boston, on May 10th, 2006.

The mission of the Richmond Center is to improve child health by eliminating children’s exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco through changing the clinical practice of pediatrics. The vision is that all child healthcare clinicians will be active participants in the elimination of tobacco/SHS exposure of children. With the establishment of the Richmond Center at the AAP, child health clinicians will be provided with the education, training, and tools needed to effectively intervene to protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco/SHS.

The work of the Richmond Center is strongly supported by the COEH, with numerous current and former committee members actively involved in the project. Please see the Richmond Center web site for additional information.

Partnership to Establish an Environmental Health Safety Net for Children

This COEH-developed supplement to Pediatrics was published in July 2003. Articles include:

  • Environmental Risk Communication for the Clinician
  • Interpreting Epidemiologic Research: Lessons From Studies of Childhood Cancer
  • How Environmental Exposures Influence the Development and Exacerbation of Asthma
  • Herbal Remedies and Children: Do They Work? Are They Harmful?
  • Evidence of Effects of Environmental Chemicals on the Endocrine System in Children
  • Antibiotic Resistance: What Is the Impact of Agricultural Uses of Antibiotics on Children's Health?
  • International Environmental Health for the Pediatrician: Case Study of Lead Poisoning

Articles are available online here. All articles are available free-of-charge to Pediatrics subscribers. Non-subscribers may download individual articles for a small fee. Follow the provided link for prices and details.

Selected Links

AAP Links
Searchable database of AAP policy documents and parent pages
AAP site on Children, Terrorism, and Disasters

External Links
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Cancer Institute
National Center for Environmental Health
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
US Environmental Protection Agency
US EPA's Environmental Club for Kids
US Food and Drug Administration

2009/2010 Council on Environmental Health Executive Committee Roster

Chairperson
Helen J. Binns, MD, MPH

Executive Committee Members
Heather Brumberg, MD, MPH
Joel Forman, MD
Catherine J. Karr, MD, PhD, MS
Kevin C. Osterhoudt, MD, MSCE
Jerome A. Paulson, MD
Megan T. Sandel, MD
James M Seltzer, MD
Robert O Wright, MD, MPH

Liaisons
Elizabeth Blackburn, RN
-- US Environmental Protection Agency
Mark Anderson, MD
-- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-- National Center for Environmental Health
Sharon Savage , MD
-- National Cancer Institute
Walter J. Rogan, MD
-- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Manager
Paul Spire
Division of Technical and Medical Services
American Academy of Pediatrics





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