Did you know that children may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures and hazards than adults? This is because children’s bodies are still developing and growing; they eat, drink and breathe in more in proportion to their body size than adults do; and they tend to spend more time outside.
Viewer Tip: October is Children’s Health Month! You can protect children’s health with these simple tips:
- Check the air quality forecast. If air quality is poor and your child suffers from asthma, consider rescheduling sports games and other outdoor activities for another day. If you do go outside, aim for early morning or evening hours, when air pollution levels are likely to be lower. You can view the air quality forecast at www.airnow.gov.
- Use sunscreen. About 23 percent of a person’s lifetime exposure to UV radiation occurs before age 18, so it’s especially important to protect children from sun exposure. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 that provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Apply sunscreen
liberally and often, and wear protective clothing – hat, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt and pants. Remember that it is possible to burn on a cold or cloudy day, even when the sun doesn’t seem bright.
For more Children’s Health Month tips, visit yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/tips.htm.
(Sources: “Health Effects of Bad Air.” www.airnow.gov; The Skin Cancer Foundation. “Skin Cancer Facts.”; EPA. “
