Welcome to the Children's Health Research Page. Children
may be more vulnerable to harmful impacts from air pollutants than adults for several reasons. They breathe more
air than adults, relative to their body size, and have greater metabolic growth requirements. Their activities
create both health and exposure scenarios that are unique for children.
The Research Division of the Air Resources Board (ARB) is involved in a number of research studies focused on children's
environmental health and exposure. On this page we present the studies and programs that are relevant to the children
of California. Links to the web pages are listed below. |
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| Health Studies related to Children: |
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Children's
Health Study (CHS)
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The Children's Health Study, which began in 1992,
is a large, long-term, study of the effects of chronic air pollution exposures on the health of children living
in southern California. About 5,500 children in 12 communities have been enrolled in the study; two-thirds of them
were enrolled as fourth-graders. Data on the children's health, their exposures to air pollution, and many factors
that affect their responses to air pollution are gathered annually until they graduate from high school. An overview
of the Children's Health Study including a Children's Health Study Fact Sheet are on this page. |
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Fresno
Asthmatic Children's Environment Study (F.A.C.E.S.)
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The Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment
Study (F.A.C.E.S.) project is the first to be sponsored under the auspices of the ARB's Vulnerable Populations
Research Program. The study is examing the effect of environmental factors, including air pollution, on the progression
of asthma in children in Fresno. |
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Huntington Park Asthma Study
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This study is an epidemiological study of the effects
of air pollution, particularly air toxics, on children with asthma. Twenty-six Hispanic asthmatic school children
residing in Eastern Los Angeles participated in the study during the winter of 1999-2000. The overall goal was
to evaluate acute respiratory health effects of volatile organic compounds and other air pollutants in children
in a highly industrialized area of Los Angeles flanked by major freeways and trucking routes. |
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| Exposure Studies related to Children: |
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Portable
Classroom Study
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The California Air Resources Board approved the Report
to the Legislature on Environmental Health Conditions in California's Portable Classrooms on July 24, 2003, for
submittal to the Governor and the Legislature. |
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Children's
School Bus Exposure Study
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The Children's School Bus Exposure Study was conducted
to characterize the range of children's exposures to diesel vehicle-related pollutants and other vehicle pollutants
during their commutes to school by school buses. It was the most comprehensive school bus exposure study ever conducted. |
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SB25 Children's Environmental Health Protection Program
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Children can sometimes be more at risk than adults
from the harmful health effects of air pollution. Changes to state law (Senate Bill 25, Escutia 1999) established
specific requirements to examine the impacts of air pollution on children's health. |
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Indoor Exposure Program
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Children spend 86% of their time indoors, on average.
The home is the primary location where they spend time; time at school accounts for most of their remaining time
indoors. Often children's activities bring them into close proximity with indoor sources. For example, young children
spend more time on the floor where they are more likely to inhale particles stirred up by activities. |
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| Other Research Activities related to Children: |
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School Health
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Information on this page is related to school health,
including Studies of school bus exposures and environmental health conditions in classrooms. Findings of these
studies and practical actions schools can take to reduce pollutant exposures can be found here. Two videos on the
health effects of air pollution can be viewed as well. |
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Review
of California Ambient Air Quality Standards
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The California Air Resources Board establishes health-based
ambient air quality standards to identify outdoor pollutant levels that are considered safe for the public - including
those individuals most sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children and the elderly. |
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Vulnerable
Populations Research Program (VPRP)
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The overall goal of the Vulnerable Populations Research
Program (VPRP) is to provide the scientific support, through research efforts, for ARB's regulatory and non-regulatory
programs that aim to protect all California residents, including those sub populations considered especially vulnerable,
from the adverse effects of air pollution. The major objectives of the VPRP are to identify susceptible subpopulations,
to quantify the degree to which their health is compromised, and to characterize their exposures to air pollutants. |
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Research
Studies and Ongoing Research
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The California Air Resources Board conducts and sponsors
many studies and research programs. On this page you will find a selection of all the research activities that
are both on-going and completed. |
