EPA Provides $100,000 to Help Assess Need for
Children’s Health Center in
Puerto Rico
EPA
Regional Administrator to Participate in Children’s Health
Conference
Contacto:
Brenda Reyes, 787-977-5869, reyes.brenda@epa.gov
(San Juan, Puerto Rico – April 13, 2012) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency today announced $100,000 in funding to assess the need for a
new, independent Children’s Environmental Health Center in Puerto Rico. The news
was announced by EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck at a meeting of
public health and medical professionals at the University of Puerto Rico’s
Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan. In addition, Ms. Enck will participate in
the Puerto Rico Children’s Environmental Health Conference, which will
take place tomorrow at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto
Rico’s Amphitheater. The health conference is open to the public
and will address topics such as Lead Exposure among Children associated with
a Battery Recycling Company, the Burden of Childhood Asthma in Puerto
Rico, and Assessing Environmental Exposure in
Pregnancy.
“There is no doubt that pollution
in the air, land and water leads to children’s health problems,” said Judith A.
Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Puerto Rico faces many environmental
challenges and their effects on children need to be better understood and
addressed or acted upon. The EPA funding will help children’s health
professionals take a closer look at the island’s environmental problems and the
service gaps that could be filled by an environmental health center in Puerto
Rico.”
“Chronic diseases in our children
are rising sharply. Asthma has more than doubled. Incidence of childhood cancer
has increased by 40%. Autism now affects 1 in 88 American children. Obesity has
tripled. The evidence is strong and continuing to build that harmful exposures
in the environment are contributing to these diseases. A new Center of
Excellence in Children’s Environmental Health in Puerto Rico will provide a
place for scientific discovery of the causes of these diseases. It will be a
center for education of doctors, nurses and the public. It will be a base for
the prevention of environmental disease in children. It is an idea whose time
has come,” said Philip J. Landrigan, MD, Chairman of the Department of
Preventive Medicine of the Mt. Sinai School of
Medicine.
“This is an important partnership
between the EPA, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and the Medical Sciences Campus
that will allow us in Puerto Rico to focus on the challenges of environmental
exposures that impact our children and our families and find solutions to
address them," said Dr. Rafael Rodriguez Mercado, Chancellor of the University
of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus.
"Bringing together the multiple
sectors of our community, from community organizations, the private sector,
local government agencies, and academia we can begin to work together towards
developing a resource center that will improve our ability to address the many
children's environmental issues we face in Puerto Rico," said Dr. Jose F
Cordero, Dean of the UPR School of Public Health.
“Taking the time to assess the
need for the establishment of an environmental health center focused on
children’s issues protects the future of a nation. Children are uniquely
vulnerable to environmental contaminants, and steps to increase understanding
about how to deal with these risks in children will ultimately strengthen our
national and international health, safety, and security. The children of Puerto
Rico are fortunate to have a strong team of partners led by the University of
Puerto Rico and Mount Sinai Medical Center,” said Tina Forrester, PhD, Acting
Director of the Division of Community Health Investigation, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry.
There are many environmental
health issues that need attention in Puerto Rico and their impacts are
especially important in children. The island has the highest asthma rate in the
nation. There are serious problems with drinking water quality and sewage
disposal. Lead, asbestos and pesticides pose special risks to children. Children
breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than adults per part of
body weight. This higher rate of intake results in greater exposure to pathogens
and pollutants and makes children uniquely vulnerable to environmental toxins.
In addition, children’s body systems are still developing, often compromising
their ability to handle toxic substances.
Most health care professionals
are not trained to deal with environmentally-related conditions, especially in
children. This information is often best delivered by trained health care
professionals. A Children’s Environmental Health Center would address many of
these health care needs.
Through the funding, the Mount
Sinai Medical Center and the University of Puerto Rico will work together with a
number of Commonwealth organizations, community groups and universities, as well
as other federal agencies including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry to explore interest in and the feasibility of establishing a Children’s
Environmental Health Center in Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico
together with a team of institutions currently has a major federal grant awarded
by the National Institutes of Health to define the role that environmental
contamination may play in the high level of pre-term births in Puerto Rico.
The University of Puerto Rico and
Mt. Sinai will obtain input from local health care providers, community based
organizations, physicians, scientists, educators, elected officials, businesses
and government agencies to prioritize environmental health issues, identify
actions needed and identify potential community partners. They will help assess
resources and evaluate critical needs for clinical consultations, educational
training, community outreach and research needs.
For more information about
Children’s Environmental Health, please visit:
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
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