Prepared statements, letters, supplemental_materials, et cetera-Continued Hughes, Dana, M.P.H., M.S., policy consultant, Children Now, and James Prepared statement of. "What's Gotten Into Our Children", article entitled.. Israel, Kathleen, a parent and co-chairperson, Concerned Residents of Jukes, Thomas H., Ph.D., Department of Biophysics, University of Cali- Letter to Congressman George Miller, dated Sept. 9, 1990 Supplemental statement of... "The Alar Scare, 1989" article entitled... Jackson, Richard J., M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., chief of the hazard identification and risk assessment branch of the California Department of Health Services, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Environmental Health, Sacramento, CA, prepared statement of Keating, Barbara, Edh., president, Consumer Alert, Modesto, CA, com- Miller, Hon. George, a Representative in Congress from the State of "Environmental Toxins and Children: Exploring the Risks" (a fact Opening statement of.. Mott, Lawrie, M.S., senior scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sandoval, Salvador, M.D., general practitioner at the Childs Avenue Health Center; coordinator of the lower western stream for the Migrant Clinicians' Network, Merced CA.. 43 Stark, Hon. Fortney H. (Pete), a Representative in Congress from the ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS AND CHILDREN: EXPLORING THE RISKS, PART I THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1990 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SELECT COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES, Washington, DC. The select committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:40 a.m., in the Children's Hospital Oakland Auditorium, Oakland, California, Hon. George Miller presiding. Members present: Representatives Miller, Boxer, and Stark. Staff present: Karabelle Pizzigati, staff director; Felicia Kornbluh, research assistant; and Dennis G. Smith, minority staff director. Chairman MILLER. The Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families will come to order. The purpose of this meeting this morning is to conduct a hearing on environmental toxins and children, exploring the risks. This is the first in a series of hearings that the select committee will be conducting on this subject, both in the field as we are here today in Oakland, and next week in Washington, D.C. And then in the early part of next year, additional hearings will be scheduled. As we have obviously witnessed, the 1990s mark the coming of age and the second renewal of the environmental movement in the United States. From every quarter of our society, and every section of the country, come demands to protect our wildlife, our water, our air, our soil, and our crops. No one wants to live beside a toxic dump, and no one wants to work in fields that have been sprayed with carcinogenic pesticides. While we fear for our own health and safety, we also fear for our children. And despite grave concerns that surround the discussions of children and environmental toxins, with few exceptions, we have only begun to turn that concern into action. This hearing is the beginning of an effort by the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to move forward on these vital questions. Science tells us that children's rapid growth and development may make them especially vulnerable to environmental toxins. And recent studies suggest that their vulnerability is being tested every day. Last year's alarm over the distinct risk to children from pesticides on apples, new evidence about the dangers of lead poisoning, the continuing concerns about asbestos in schools are just some of the threats that our children face. Everywhere that children live, (1) learn, and work exposes them to toxins and pollutants that may jeopardize their healthy development. Unfortunately, for substances other than lead, research is in its infancy. There remain many more questions than there are answers. In the select committee tradition, this series of hearings will begin today to scrutinize the best available evidence about children's vulnerability to environmental toxins, and focus attention on the overlooked, but simmering, anxiety about child health and safety. In California, the state often thought of as light years ahead of the nation in efforts to protect the environment, recent studies have directed attention to the special vulnerability of children to environmental hazards. Studies have focused on concerns about "clusters" of rare childhood cancers in the most agricultural regions of the State; researchers have discovered high levels of lead poisoning in the blood of Los Angeles and Oakland children, and children whose parents work at farm labor have been born with severe birth defects. While life-threatening effects, such as cancer and birth defects, are of great concern, children suffer other developmental effects and illnesses as well, which are more subtle in their manifestations, but also attributable to environmental exposures. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment in Washington, D.C., recently released a report documenting the effects of neurotoxins on learning capacity and on physical and mental health. Lead is a potent neurotoxin. So are some of the pesticides and food additives. The possibility of low-income children, who already face formidable obstacles in succeeding in school, might be held back by environmental factors-some of which occur more frequently in lowincome than high-income communities-is very troubling, indeed. And the effects of involuntary, or "passive" smoking, on children's respiratory health is well documented. And again this morning, apparently, especially in tandem with other indoor pollutants at home and in school. Today, the select committee will begin investigating these issues. Children NOW will issue a new report on Children and the Environment that identifies their special vulnerabilities to poisons in the environment, offers guidance to parents how to minimize health risks, and urges policymakers to meet their responsibility to the public's health. Ramona Ramirez and other members of the farmworking community will tell us about the health effects their children have suffered in recent years. They will speak not only of the current crisis of tragic levels of childhood cancer sweeping through the San Joaquin Valley, but also longer-term, quieter crisis of farm work in the United States that affects their health: the low wages, lack of service, the paucity of public support that we inflict on those who do the hardest and most necessary jobs in our society. We are pleased to be able to draw upon the expertise of the participants in a "Kids and the Environment" seminar. It is being held this weekend for physicians. It will take place at U. C. Berkeley. Experts from the physicians' conference will share their stateof-the-art knowledge on the relationship between environmental toxins and child health, and will recommend strategies for research and policies for the future. One of these experts, Dr. Cynthia Bearer, who is also head of the new effort at Children's Hospital here at Oakland. As Chief of the Division of Pediatric Environmental Health, she is looking at these important questions from the perspective of both clinical practice and developmental research. I would like to especially express my gratitude and thanks to everyone here at Children's Hospital at Oakland for all of the help that they have provided the committee and the staff in arranging for this hearing. This is a community resource that we have called upon-the select committee, that is-many, many times to help us find answers to some of the most troubling questions facing this nation's children. We in the East Bay, and in the entire Bay area, in fact, are very, very proud of this institution and all that it has lent to trying to better the health of this region's children, and of the nation's children. I would like to welcome to the committee my colleagues, Congresswoman Barbara Boxer who is a Member of the select committee, and Congressman Pete Stark, who is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Ways and Means Committee in the Congress of the United States. [Opening statement of Congressman George Miller follows:] OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GEORGE MILLER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND CHAIRMAN, SELECT COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES The 1990s mark the coming-of-age of the environmental movement in the U.S. From every quarter of our society, and every section of the country, come demands to protect our wildlife, our water, our air, our soil, and our crops. No one wants to live beside a toxic waste dump, and no one wants to work in fields that have been sprayed with carcinogenic pesticides. While we fear for our own health and safety, perhaps our greatest fear from environmental contamination is the threat it poses to our children. We worry whether our children will have the resources they need when they have families? Will they be healthy enough to enjoy them? Will their conditions of work, of housing, and of community allow our children to live with security? Or will they condemn our children to the same worries and anxieties that beset us today? Despite the grave concern that surrounds discussions of children and environmental toxins, with few exceptions, we have only begun to turn that concern into action. This hearing is the beginning of an effort of the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, to move forward on these vital questions. Science tells us that children's rapid growth and development may make them especially vulnerable to environmental toxins. And recent studies suggest that their vulnerability is being tested every day. Last year's alarm over the distinct risk to children from pesticides on apples, new evidence about the dangers of lead poisoning, and continuing concerns about asbestos in schools are only some examples of the threats children face. Everywhere that children live, play, learn and work exposes them to toxins and pollutants that may jeopardize their health and development. Unfortunately, for substances other than lead, research is in its infancy. There remain many more questions than there are answers. In the Select Committee tradition, the series of hearings we begin today will scrutinize the best available evidence about children's vulnerability to environmental toxins, and focus attention on the overlooked, but simmering, anxiety about child health and safety. In California-often thought of as light years ahead of the nation in its efforts to protect the environment-recent studies have directed attention to the special vulnerability of children to environmental hazards: studies have focused concern about "clusters" of rare childhood cancers in the most agricultural regions of the State; researchers have discovered high levels of lead poisoning in the blood of Los Angeles and Oakland children; and children whose parents work at farm labor have been born with severe birth defects. While life-threatening effects, such as cancer and birth defects, are of great concern, children suffer other developmental effects and illnesses as well, which are more subtle in their manifestations, but also attributable to environmental expo sures. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment in Washington, D.C. recently released a report documenting the effects of neurotoxins on learning capacity, and on physical and mental health. Lead is a potent neurotoxin. So are some pesticides and food additives. The possibility that low-income children, who already face formidable obstacles to succeeding in school, might also be held back by environmental factors— some of which occur more frequently in low-income than high-income communities-is very troubling indeed. And the effects of involuntary, or "passive" smoking, on children's respiratory health is well documented, especially in tandem with other indoor air pollutants at home or in school. Today, the Select Committee will begin investigating these issues. "Children NOW" will issue a new report on Children and the Environment that identifies their special vulnerabilities to poisons in the environment, offers guidance to parents about how to minimize health risks, and urges policymakers to meet their responsibility to the public's health. Ramona Ramirez and other members of the farmworking community will tell us about the health effects their children have suffered in recent years. They will speak not only of the current crisis, of tragic levels of childhood cancer sweeping through the San Joaquin Valley, but of the longer-term, quieter crises of farm work in the U.S. that affect their health: the low wages, lack of services, and paucity of public support that we inflict on those who do the hardest and most necessary jobs in our society. We are pleased to be able to draw upon the expertise of participants in a "Kids and the Environment" seminar for physicians, which will take place tomorrow in Berkeley. Experts from the physicians' conference will share their state-of-the-art knowledge on the relationship between environmental toxins and child health, and will help recommend a strategy of research and policies for the future. One of these experts, Dr. Cynthia Bearer, is also at the head of a new effort at Children's Hospital Oakland. As chief of the Division of Pediatric Health, she is looking at these important questions from the perspective of both clinical practice and developmental research. I especially want to express my appreciation to the staff of Children's Hospital Oakland for hosting this important hearing and for their continuing fine work to ensure better health for our children. I welcome all of you today to Children's Hospital, and look forward to your testimony. |