Is asthma reaching epidemic levels? Are children having more severe asthma attacks? If so, in which communities? Does Indiana have any cancer clusters? Where? What about central nervous system, kidney disease, or emphysema? And lead or mercury poisoning? Are birth defects on the rise?

These are just a sampling of the questions people ask when they try to assess our children’s environmental health priorities. We hear facts and figures from national estimates and studies in other states, but, unfortunately, we are often in the dark when it comes to Indiana and its children.

As a result, we typically set Indiana’s children’s environmental health priorities by relying on extrapolations and reflecting the directives of the federal government.

Thankfully, several Indiana legislators have taken on the challenge of getting the facts. The 1999 General Assembly adopted House Concurrent Resolution introduced by Representative Smith of Lake County. The resolution calls on the Indiana General Assembly to investigate possible connections between cancer, asthma, and emphysema victims in urban areas and the quality of the air and soil.

As chair of the Environmental Quality Service Council, Senator Beverly Gard established an “IDEM and Public Health” subcommittee to evaluate the issue. And she appointed Senator Vi Simpson to lead the subcommittee. Senator Simpson has long been an advocate for children’s environmental health. IKE’s president, Tom Neltner, serves on the subcommittee.

After three meetings, the EQSC accepted the subcommittee’s recommendation for adoption by the General Assembly. See below for a description of the critical recommendations.

If adopted and implemented, the recommendations will move Indiana forward dramatically in getting the facts about the connections between public health and potential environment threats. While we cannot expect to find definitive proof or conclusive causation, the information will provide us with a better sense of what problems we should be focusing on.

Special thanks to Vi Simpson, Beverly Gard, Bill Beranek, Greg Steele, John Blair, Bill Hayden, Craig Mortell, Glenn Pratt, and Dick Van Frank for their work in developing the recommendations.