ENVIRONMENTAL-HEALTH AND HISPANIC CHILDREN

There are numerous indicators that Hispanics face a disproportionate r isk of exposure to environmental hazards. Ambient air pollution, worke r exposure to chemicals, indoor air pollution, and drinking water qual ity are among the top four threats to human health and are all areas i n which indicators point to elevated risk for Hispanic populations. Th ese data, juxtaposed with data on the health status of Hispanics, tell us that the environmental health status of Hispanics and their childr en is poor. At the same time. significant inadequacies in the collecti on of data on Hispanics make it difficult to make improving Hispanic e nvironmental health status a priority. These inadequacies include the failure to use Hispanic identifiers in data collection and failure to collect sample sizes large enough to allow for breakouts of data by Hi spanic subgroup. In addressing environmental justice issues, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the Department of Healt h and Human Services (DHHS) should prioritize improving the quantifiab ility of environmental exposures and risk based on race or ethnicity. However, improving data should not be the prerequisite to significant, affirmative steps by DHHS and U.S. EPA to address environmental and e nvironmental health problems facing Hispanic communities. In particula r, a health-based approach to environmental justice should be the prio rity.