EPA Policy on Children’s Health
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has signed EPA’s Policy on Children’s Health, reaffirming the Agency’s commitment to protect children from environmental exposures by consistently and explicitly considering early-life exposures and potential lifelong health impacts.
“Children are the future of our nation, and protecting their health is foundational to EPA’s core mission to safeguard human health and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
The policy:
- Reflects our commitment to Gold Standard Science and reinforces EPA’s responsibility to protect children where they live, learn, and play.
- Underscores the importance of evaluating risks across all life stages.
- Encourages transparency in addressing data gaps and using sound risk assessment to inform child protective decisions.
- Explains EPA’s expectation that programs consider and integrate children’s health in regulations, enforcement, research, permitting, and partnerships.
Children are uniquely vulnerable due to differences in biology and behavior compared to adults. Exposure to pollutants during early life—beginning with parental reproductive health and pregnancy, then continuing through infancy, childhood, and adolescence—can shape health across a lifetime and even affect future generations. Protecting children now strengthens EPA’s ability to deliver lasting safeguards that support healthy families and a thriving America.
Under the Trump Administration, EPA is focused on practical, science‑driven action that delivers real results for the American people. Protecting children’s environmental health is central to that mission. From reducing lead exposure to ensuring access to clean air, land, and water, EPA’s work today helps secure healthier futures and long‑term prosperity for generations to come.
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