Program Overview
How and where we live, eat, sleep, work, and play, can have huge impacts on our health! These factors have especially large impacts during pregnancy and in early child years, but continue to be vital throughout our lives. We created Prescriptions for Prevention to guide parents and caregivers in the best actions they can take to protect children’s environmental health and prevent future harm. These materials are based off of our clinician facing Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit (PEHT), featuring evidence-based overviews on health hazards related to air, water, food and consumer products. Two key groups of concern are Hazards, and Sources. Hazards are the different kinds of harms we are concerned about, like groups of toxic chemicals. Sources are where harms may come from, like our food or water.
Program Materials
This document examines the presence of heavy metals in baby food, their potential health impacts on infants, and recommendations for parents to reduce exposure. It suggests diversifying diets and choosing products tested for contaminants.
Consumer Products: This document discusses potential chemical hazards in everyday consumer products, advising the use of safer alternatives and providing resources to make informed choices to reduce exposure to harmful substances.
Dust: This factsheet addresses the health risks associated with household dust, which can contain harmful contaminants, and recommends cleaning practices to minimize exposure, especially for children.
Nitrates in Food and Water: This document explains how nitrates from fertilizers and preservatives can contaminate food and water, posing health risks like “blue baby syndrome,” and suggests testing water sources and dietary precautions to reduce exposure.
This document outlines the risks of nitrate contamination in food and water, especially for infants, and provides steps for testing and reducing exposure.
This factsheet discusses the health risks of pesticide exposure, particularly for children, and offers tips for reducing exposure in homes, gardens, and food.
This document addresses health risks from contaminated soil, especially for children and gardeners, and offers tips for safe gardening practices.
Program Videos
A’afiaga o le soifua maloloina i mea’ai e i ai u’amea mamafa
O lenei vitio o loʻo faʻamatalaina ai le soifua maloloina o uʻamea mamafa i meaʻai ma tuʻuina atu fautuaga e faʻaitiitia ai le aafia i vailaʻau oona.
Children’s Health and the Impacts of Plastics
This video discusses how plastic can release harmful particles into our food, water, and environment, posing significant health risks—especially for children—and explores alternatives.
Extreme Weather, Heat Stress and Health
This video explores how extreme weather increases the risk of heat illness, especially for children and pregnant individuals, and discusses community action essential for protection.
Health effects of heavy metals in food
This video outlines the health effects of heavy metals in food and provides tips to minimize exposure to toxic chemicals.
Keep Kids Healthy by Preparing for Natural Disasters
This video provides advice on preparing for natural disasters, emphasizing safety precautions for children and pregnant individuals.
Mga epekto sa kalusugan ng mataas na antas ng metal sa pagkain
Binabalangkas ng video na ito ang mga epekto sa kalusugan ng mabibigat na metal sa pagkain at nagbibigay ng mga tip upang mabawasan ang pagkakalantad sa mga nakakalason na kemikal.
Developed in partnership with:
This project was led by: James Earl Schier Nolan, MPH (WS PEHSU and EaRTH Center), Stephanie Holm, MD, PhD, MPH, Mark Miller, MD, MPH and Maria Valenti. Graphic design by Steve Burdick.
Contributors and subject authors include: Content contributors include: Anthony Lopez, Bryan Ramirez, Elizabeth Cheung, Erica Chung, Hannah El-Sabrout, Ignacio “Nacho” Santana, Jose Maldonado, Kali Sullivan, Keo Chui, Madeleine Ambrose, Natasha Gonzalez, Nathaniel Tsiperfal, Rachana Mudipalli, Sonja Swenson, Valerie Gallardo, and Zoë Gilbard.
Project supported by: the UCSF Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center via the core center grant P30-ES030284 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), funded (in part) by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the PEHSUs by providing partial funding to CDC/ATSDR through an Inter-Agency Agreement. The findings and conclusions presented have not been formally disseminated by CDC/ATSDR, NIEHS, or EPA and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy. Use of trade names that may be mentioned is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the CDC/ATSDR, NIEHS, or EPA.