By Carley Clemons
Photo SeventyFour by iStock
Photo SeventyFour by iStock
Kids are exposed to environmental hazards often, frequently without realizing it. These exposures come from living near freeways or agricultural fields, eating foods with harmful ingredients or pesticide residues, wearing clothes or diapers made with toxic chemicals, drinking contaminated water, and many other factors kids encounter every day.
This exposure to pollution, pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxins can make kids sick, harm brain development, and impair their lifelong well-being. Black and Latino/a children and others living in communities burdened by historic disinvestment are in even more danger, in part due to the housing practice called “redlining,” which concentrated families of color in communities with substandard housing where environmental harms like air pollution and lead exposure are more likely. These children are also less likely to be screened for environmental health harms (like elevated levels of lead in their blood) and the potential consequences (like developmental delays). This means that the children who are most likely to be harmed by environmental hazards may also be the least likely to receive support to address those harms.
Below we walk through some of the most dangerous environmental threats affecting kids, and the actions California’s leaders and all of us can take to protect them.
California has an air quality problem. 8 in 10 Californians live in a county impacted by air pollution, and 5 of the 10 U.S. cities with the worst annual particle pollution are in California. Bakersfield has been the metropolitan area with the worst year-round particle pollution for 7 years in a row.
Children are at greater risk from air pollution than adults because they spend more time outside and are more physically active, which means breathing faster and inhaling more pollutants. Children’s lungs and immune systems are still developing and are more vulnerable to harm, and their nasal passages are not as effective at filtering out pollutants. This leads to kids being at greater risk of the many health harms caused by exposure to air pollution, including impaired lung function and lung development problems. Children are also more likely to develop asthma if they are exposed to air pollution, while air pollution can trigger serious attacks for the one million children in California who have asthma, creating a vicious cycle. Black and Latino/a kids are then significantly more likely to suffer from severe asthma, and to be hospitalized, than white children.
Kids are at risk of exposure to pesticides when they live, learn, and play near agricultural fields and when they eat fruits and vegetables that have been treated with pesticides. Children who have long-term exposure to pesticides may experience serious health effects including asthma, learning disabilities, and forms of cancer, specifically leukemia and brain tumors. Children are especially vulnerable to harm from pesticide exposure because they breathe more air than adults relative to their body weight, meaning that they inhale almost twice as many pollutants. They also spend more time outdoors on grass and playgrounds where pesticides may be present.
Over one four-year period, the most heavily exposed schools in California had more than 100,000 pounds of pesticides applied within a mile of their campuses. Some pesticides are especially persistent on fruits and vegetables, which increases exposure risks when kids eat them. For example, 2.5 million pounds of PFAS (“forever chemical”) pesticides are applied to California fields each year, exposing Californians to hazardous chemicals that literally never break down in the environment. Even very low doses of PFAS have been linked to elevated risk of cancer, reproductive harm, and other serious health concerns. In recent testing, nearly 90% of sampled peaches and plums had PFAS pesticide residue, even after they had been washed.
The burden of pesticide pollution falls disproportionately on immigrant communities with limited English proficiency, a group that makes up a large proportion of California’s agricultural workforce. Latino/a children are nearly twice as likely as white children to attend schools in proximity to heavy pesticide application.
Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is no safe blood lead level for children. It can impair children’s intellectual development, including their ability to learn and concentrate. This means that minimizing children’s exposure as much as possible is the best way to keep them safe from lead.
Children can be exposed to lead from many different sources. Exposure to lead-based paint (which was banned for residential use in 1978 but is still present in many older homes) and the dust it creates when it starts to degrade is one of the major causes of childhood lead poisoning. An estimated 18% of children under the age of 5 in California are exposed to deteriorated lead-based paint. Drinking water is also a major source of lead exposure – testing in 2023 found levels of lead exceeding the allowable amount in drinking water at 1 in 4 California child care centers. Other sources of lead exposure include soil after fires, spices, infant formula, and ceramicware. All added up, many kids in California are consistently exposed to lead from a wide variety of sources. A 2017 analysis found that there were even nine zip codes in Fresno County and eight in Alameda County where high blood lead levels among children were as common as those in Flint, Michigan (the site of a lead-contaminated water crisis).
A baby goes through 3,000 diapers in a year, with most babies wearing diapers for the first couple of years of their lives (sometimes longer). These diapers are in constant contact with babies’ sensitive, delicate skin (as much as 30% thinner than adults). Recent studies have then found that many types of disposable diapers contain a variety of toxins, including formaldehyde, phthalates, PFAS, fragrances, and heavy metals. These ingredients are associated with hormone disruption, respiratory issues, and other serious health problems.
Currently, diaper manufacturers are not required to disclose the ingredients in their products. Some diaper manufacturers do opt to disclose ingredients or to avoid harmful ingredients entirely, but a recent evaluation of diapers found that of 31 types of diapers, only two disclosed all (or nearly all) of the materials used.
Infant formula is generally a safe option that many families rely on to nourish their babies. By the age of 6 months, nearly half of babies in California are exclusively fed formula, with babies in lower-income families being more likely to be fed formula. This is due, at least in part, to limited opportunities for paid leave and inflexible work environments for new mothers (particularly in lower paying jobs). Over half of the formula produced in the US is consumed by babies who receive the formula through WIC, with eligibility linked to lower household income.
The problem is that some formulas are safer than others, and there is a lack of transparent information for parents and caregivers to make the safest choices for their babies. Recent testing of infant formula found that nearly half of samples tested contained potentially harmful levels of at least one contaminant (including toxic chemicals and heavy metals like lead and arsenic). There is no safe level of some of these substances for children, and exposure accumulates over time.
While the infant formula industry does their own product testing and claims that the levels of toxic chemicals and heavy metals in all of their products are safe, they don’t share that information with the government agency that regulates the industry (the FDA), let alone consumers. That means parents and caregivers are not being given the chance to accurately compare products and find a formula with as little harmful contaminants as possible.
What California Must Do To Keep Kids Safe
California must ensure that all children are safe from pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, toxic chemicals, and other environmental harms in their homes, schools, and communities. The state has at times positioned itself as an environmental leader, going above and beyond what the federal government requires, but there is more that needs to be done.
Pesticides:
Existing California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) rules prohibit pesticide application within a quarter mile of public K-12 schools and daycare facilities during school hours. However, some particularly harmful pesticides can linger in the air for days and travel for miles with the wind, meaning stricter guidelines are needed.
CDPR has also implemented a first-in-the-world public advance notification and mapping system for agricultural pesticides called “SprayDays.” This tool provides information about upcoming pesticide applications to communities, which allows families to take measures to keep kids safe. However, the tool does not provide exact location information for pesticide applications. This level of detail would allow people to take specific actions, like bringing in their kids’ toys, closing their windows, and avoiding walking near a specific field when pesticides are being used there.
Lead:
In recent years, California has worked to eliminate sources of lead exposure for children. In 2025 a law (AB 1096) was signed that requires testing for lead in school drinking water. In 2024 the state enacted a law (SB 1193) to begin phasing out leaded aviation gas. And back in 2013 Children Now supported a bill (AB 711) that banned the use of lead ammunition. Each of these steps helped protect kids from toxic lead.
California is also working to improve blood lead testing rates, to identify children who have been exposed to lead and give them the support they need. All children enrolled in Medi-Cal are required to be blood lead tested at the age of 1 and again at the age of 2. However, in 2023 only 28% of infants and toddlers in Medi-Cal had received two blood lead tests by the age of 2. The rates for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander children and Black children were significantly lower, at 14% and 15% respectively. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has been working to update regulations that pediatricians use to identify kids who are at risk of elevated blood levels and to screen them. Children Now has worked closely with CDPH to push for these updated blood lead testing regulations, so millions more California kids will be screened for lead exposure. We are also developing a best practices toolkit for pediatricians and other providers to improve rates of blood lead testing.
Toxic Chemicals in Diapers:
In 2026, a bill (AB 1901) co-sponsored by Children Now and Environmental Working Group would require diaper manufacturers to list all intentionally-added ingredients on diaper packaging and to publicly list additional details, such as the function of each ingredient, on their website. This would give parents and caregivers visibility into what exactly is in the diapers they choose to keep their little ones clean and dry. This bill, critical for the California legislature to pass, would build on a law passed in New York last year. The New York bill requires on-package ingredient labeling, but AB 1901 provides even more transparency by requiring full online disclosure about the purpose of every ingredient and its specific “Chemical Abstracts Service” (CAS) registry number. This makes sure that manufacturers can’t hide harmful chemicals behind umbrella terms like “fragrance” or “parfum.”
Infant Formula:
In 2022, and then again in 2024, California’s Attorney General settled lawsuits with two major infant formula manufacturers after concerning levels of lead were detected in their products. These settlements require the manufacturers to test their products for lead and disclose the results for a period of five years. The settlements also establish lead safety levels that are a fraction of the levels that the infant formula industry points to as safe enough (i.e., the levels set in California are much more protective).
In 2026, Children Now is sponsoring a bill (AB 2302) requiring all formula manufacturers to test their products for heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, in addition to lead) and make the results public. This bill would empower parents and caregivers with the transparent information they need to select the safest possible options for their babies. It would also give pediatricians and the agencies that distribute formula to low-income families crucial insights to inform the recommendations that they make about formula options. Prior legislation has shown that testing and disclosure requirements create market competition to reduce heavy metal levels, which leads to safer products.
Coalition Building for Systemic Change:
Children Now is driving systemic environmental health change through our role as lead convener of the California Alliance for Children’s Environmental Health (CACEH). CACEH is a statewide, interdisciplinary group of more than 130 local, regional, and statewide organizations, as well as researchers, youth, and pediatricians. CACEH members raise awareness of environmental health issues and inequities, plus build momentum behind focused policy priorities to improve environmental conditions for children.
In August 2025 and May 2026, we collaborated with CALPIRG to organize CACEH advocacy days in Sacramento, where advocates spoke to lawmakers about how environmental toxins are negatively impacting kids, and the steps they can take to help. After the August 2025 Advocacy Day, all five priority environmental health bills made it the Governor’s desk, and three were signed into law. After the May 2026 Advocacy Day, five of the seven priority bills that were being considered in the Appropriations committee passed to floor votes and then on to the Senate.
CACEH’s work is especially impactful because policy gains in California often serve as a model for improving children’s well-being nationwide. Vermont also has a bill related to testing and disclosure of heavy metals in infant formula that specifically says it would take effect when a comparable law has taken effect in California (or two other states). Other states not only follow California’s lead but strategically align with California to make important changes.
It is crucial for California to take decisive action on environmental health and justice issues to build safer communities for all children and families. To learn more about kids’ environmental health or get involved, visit our CACEH webpage or connect with us at [email protected].
