IKE's Priority Projects

IKE decided to narrow its focus on important issues to children's health that it could have a significant impact on.  Therefore, Tom Neltner chose issues important to Indiana - its base state - that he was familiar with.   After working through the issues with IKE's Advisory Council and its Board, he settled on six issues.  Three additional issues are critical to children's environmental health but were not chosen for a variety of reasons including the likelihood of success.  All nine issues are described below.

As a small organization, IKE can only succeed in collaboration with all stakeholders and in coordination with national and regional groups that are leaders on the issue. 

IKE's Two Priority Projects:

Lead and Healthy Homes:  Most sources of mercury to children have been dramatically reduced.  But we have a legacy that must be addressed - the legacy of deteriorating lead-based paint.  And with 35% of children in some Indiana neighborhoods and one of nine tested statewide having elevated blood lead levels, the problem must be addressed.  Most of IKE's work has been through the Lead-Safe Indiana Task Force which it formed in September of 1999.  The Task Force has flourished since then.  Some ongoing efforts include:

• Pursue implementation of ten recommendations to Governor Frank O'Bannon
• Host a Lead-Safe Indiana Conference 
• Present Lead-Safe Indiana Awards
• In association with the Environmental Management Institute, develop a HUD-approved 4-hour Lead-Safe Work Practices course.
• Encourage paint retailers to provide sound technical advice to their customers.
• Promote legislation to fill gaps in Indiana's existing lead poisoning prevention efforts.
• Push Medicaid and the Indiana State Department of Health to improve blood lead testing rates and reliably measure progress.
• Foster development of local coalitions
• Facilitate use of lead-safe work practices in state weatherization projects. 
• Getting information on high-risk neighborhoods and dangerous work practices to the public.

Sewage in Our Streams:  105 municipalities in Indiana have sewer systems that combine storm water and domestic and industrial sewage.  Many of these systems overflow into neighborhood streams that children play in even in moderate rains.  The solutions are tough to find.  Preliminary estimates are that it will take $4 billion in Indiana alone to reduce the 20 billion gallons of annual overflows.  IKE will develop solutions from a variety of angles:

• Promote a right-to-know approach where CSO communities notify affected people when sewage is in their streams.
• Facilitate statewide adoption of a "no net increase in sewage overflows" policy to ensure that CSO communities do not accept sewer connections that increase the frequency, duration or volume of overflowing sewage to Indiana's streams.
• Take action to eliminate environmental injustices that result combined sewage overflows do not result in a disproportionate impact to minorities or low income communities.  
• Ensure that Long-Term Control Plans are adopted consistent with state and federal guidance in a manner to ensure maximum public input.
• Educate the public and other interested parties about the very real threats posed by combined sewer overflows and sewage in our streams.  

IKE's issues that are critical but not priority projects

Pesticides:  Pesticide provide a valuable service to our society in reducing pests that threaten children.  But they also pose hazards, especially to children who may be sensitive to them.  IKE's goal is to reduce both pests and pesticide exposures.  And to ensure that parents who are concerned about pesticide use are notified of the planned use so they can take appropriate action.

Mercury:  Mercury is a dangerous metal that can be breathed.  Unlike lead, it is still commonly used in consumer and healthcare products.  Virtually all of these uses are unnecessary.  IKE has taken a two-part approach:

1.    Stop the deliberate, non-essential use of mercury, especially in consumer products; and

2.    Educate the public on the tangible impacts of mercury on their health.

Consumer Products: The Indiana Poison Center handles about 60,000 phone calls a year involving potential poisonings from consumer products.  The Center provides outstanding guidance to the callers.  IKE will work with the Center to identify strategies to try to proactively prevent the poisonings.  It is working closely with the Indiana Regional Household Hazardous Waste Task Force and Taylor University on this project.

Health Priorities:  Our state environmental program priorities are typically driven by federal directives and not by state health priorities.  IKE will work to reconnect our state environmental programs with state health priorities and institutionalize those linkages.   

Air Toxics:  The air toxics soup that urban residents breathe can only do harm, especially to children with weak pulmonary systems such as asthma.  Indiana has conducted air toxics monitoring in four urban areas in the State.  IKE would like to analyze the information and get the information to the community so that can understand it.  The preference is to use existing communication networks and get it on their agenda rather than create a new network.  But the work will be resource intensive.  And IKE lacks the resources to proceed.  IKE will continue to seek resource for the project.

Child Care:  More and more children go to child care when they are young.  And they spend many hours at child care.  IKE wants to work with child care facilities in low income area to help them improve the care by reducing environmental threats.  IKE would work closely with IDEM to help these facilities participate in IDEM's 5-Star Environmental Recognition Program for Child Care Facilities as the mechanism to succeed.  The program recognize leadership and helps them use the recognition as a marketing tool.  But the work involves extensive one-on-one work with the facilities. IKE lacks the resources to make this happen.  IKE continues to seek resources for the project.

Endocrine Disruption:  Chemicals can interfere with the development of children in subtle yet devastating ways by disrupting the body's hormones - its endocrine system.  New research shows that many more chemicals that previously thought can cause these problems and the problems are more severe than ever guessed at.  World Wildlife Federation and other groups have taken a leading role in this research.  IKE lacks the technical and financial resources to get involved but will strive to stay current and keep its members informed as issues arise.