The Task Force on Environmental Health and Safety Risks to Children was established by Executive Order in April 1997. Co-Chaired by Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Carol M. Browner, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Task Force has met twice since its inception, created a senior staff planning committee and two subcommittees, and identified four priority health conditions: asthma, unintentional injuries, cancers, and developmental disorders.

Members of the Task Force include:

At its first meeting in October 1997, the Task Force created the Senior Staff Planning Committee, the Research and Data Needs Subcommittee, and the Program Implementation Subcommittee. At the second meeting, which occurred in April 1998, the Task Force reviewed the progress of the three groups, discussed the four priority health conditions identified by the Senior Staff Planning Commit-tee, and came to agreement on focus areas and next steps.

Meanwhile, the Subcommittees have met independently several times and are working on specific projects. The Research and Data Needs Sub-committee is developing an inventory of research being conducted and sup-ported by the Federal Government, as well as identifying data gaps. The Program Implementation Subcommittee created three teams—communication strategies, partnerships, and evaluation—to do the work in those areas. Both groups intend to make their results available online.

The Senior Staff Planning Committee has begun analyzing all pending legislation related to children’s environmental health to provide guidance on which bills, or sections of bills, should receive the Administration’s support.

Next Steps
Work groups, consisting of experts in the subject, have been created to map out action plans for the four priority areas. Plans are under way to submit FY 2000 budget proposals on at least one of these priority areas. (Because these four areas are in varying stages of development, different timelines may be required.) Several White House offices (in particular, the Vice President’s Office, the Office of the First Lady, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy) have expressed interest in planning Presidential or Vice Presidential events around Task Force activities.