Just Launched: Local Air Quality and Other Environmental Health Data

Five new measures of environmental health in California have been added to kidsdata.org. Children’s environmental health is an emerging area of research; learn more about why these data are important on our blog, Data Points. In the coming weeks, we’ll also feature updated data on childhood asthma - a topic related to environmental health.

Find Environmental Health Data for Your Region

• Air Quality
  Data Highlights
  Days with Ozone Levels Above Regulatory Standard
  Annual Average Particulate Matter Concentration
  
  
• Lead Poisoning
  Data Highlights
  Children Ages 0-5 with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Those Screened: Percent | Number
  
  
• Water Quality
  Data Highlights
  Water Quality Violations
  
  
• Sex Ratio at Birth
  Sex Ratio at Birth (Males: Females)

Ozone Levels: Number of Days Above U.S. Standards Ranges Widely by County

Among the 49 California counties with available data in 2008, 11 counties had no recorded days with ozone levels above U.S. standards. However, Tulare, Kern, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties each had more than 100 such days that year.

A Decrease in Confirmed Elevated Blood Lead Levels for Young Kids in California

Among children screened for lead poisoning, the number of California kids ages 0-5 with confirmed elevated blood lead levels in 2009 was down 27% from 2007. In 2009, 2,426 California children ages 0-5 had elevated levels of lead in their blood; this represents 0.4% of those screened.

Hundreds of Drinking Water Violations Across California Counties

In 2007, California counties were issued 819 public drinking water violations for contamination exceeding public health limits. At the county level, the number of contamination violations ranged from 1 to 142 among counties with available data.

Related Current Legislation

• AB 403 (Campos) - Public Drinking Water Standards and Hexavalent Chromium
• AB 591 (Wieckowski) - Disclosures About Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing
• SB 646 (Pavley) - Toxics Enforcement for Lead and Cadmium Jewelry
• AB 1319 (Butler) - Would Ban the Plastics Chemical Bisphenol A from Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups Sold in California.

Tools to Help Make Your Case for Kids in California

As a foundation devoted to raising the visibility of issues facing children in California, we want to connect you to the data and information you need:

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