IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1494 

Recognizing the threat of air pollution and extreme heat to maternal and 

infant health, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 

that meaningful interventions must be rapidly and equitably developed 

and deployed to address the unique vulnerabilities of pregnancy in Latino 

communities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, and Mrs. NAPOLITANO) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the threat of air pollution and extreme heat 

to maternal and infant health, and expressing the sense 

of the House of Representatives that meaningful interventions must be rapidly and equitably developed and 

deployed to address the unique vulnerabilities of pregnancy in Latino communities. 

Whereas there is a significant association between air pollution and heat exposure to maternal and fetal health outcomes in the United States; 

Whereas pregnancy represents a sensitive window of susceptibility to environmental toxins for women, as the pregnant 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HRES 1494 IH 

body undergoes physiological changes in all major organ 

systems; 

Whereas air pollution can be linked to adverse maternal 

health outcomes, including hypertensive disorders of 

pregnancy, polycystic ovarian syndrome, subfertility, miscarriage, and failure of assisted reproductive technology; 

Whereas air pollutant exposure can be linked to reduced conception rates and fertility; 

Whereas exposure to particle pollution and ozone can lead to 

adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth 

weight, and stillbirth; 

Whereas prenatal exposure to air pollution can lead to asthma and allergy development in children, and increase offspring susceptibility to disease in adulthood; 

Whereas immigrant, low-income communities of color are two 

times as likely to live in the most polluted counties in the 

United States, compared with White mothers, even after 

controlling for maternal risk factors, region, and educational status; 

Whereas, of all groups, Latina mothers have the highest likelihood of living in areas with the highest levels of air pollution compared to their White counterparts; 

Whereas a statewide California study that assigned pollutant 

exposures using ambient air quality monitors showed that 

Latina mothers are at higher risk of experiencing stillbirth from ozone exposure throughout their entire pregnancy than other ethnicities; 

Whereas climate change is linked to and exacerbates ozone 

production in the atmosphere; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HRES 1494 IH 

Whereas pregnant women are more vulnerable to the effects 

of climate change, as pregnancy naturally elevates the 

body’s temperature, makes it more susceptible to external 

temperatures, weakens its ability to thermoregulate, and 

increases risk of overheating; 

Whereas extreme heat increases the risk of preterm labor, low 

birth weight, and pregnancy loss; 

Whereas Latina women exposed to extreme heat had double 

or more the risk of preterm birth or stillbirth than White 

women; 

Whereas Latinos are disproportionately represented in the 

outdoor workforce, such as agriculture and construction, 

and therefore at higher risk of extreme heat exposure; 

Whereas older housing, a scarcity of green spaces, and lack 

of access to air conditioning increase the vulnerability of 

low-income pregnant women to heat; 

Whereas there is a large ethnic and racial gap in maternal 

morbidity and mortality between Latinas and non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas, even with private insurance, Latinas have a 22-percent higher rate of experiencing pregnancy problems; 

Whereas compounding inequalities and systemic racism 

heighten Latinas’ vulnerability during pregnancy due to 

preexisting conditions such as diabetes and obesity, socioeconomic status, education, lack of proper access to 

health care, and sexism and racism within health care 

systems that inhibit proper communication and treatment; 

Whereas language barriers and medical and institutional mistrust prevent Latinas from accessing critical information 

and from communicating needs to medical professionals; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HRES 1494 IH 

Whereas disproportionate exposure to pollution and climateinduced extreme heat can manifest itself in issues of 

mental health for pregnant Latinas during the 

postpartum period; 

Whereas Latinas already have a 40-percent greater risk of 

experiencing postpartum depression than White mothers; 

Whereas a University of Southern California study cohort of 

Latina mothers expressed fear, uncertainty, and frustration about power imbalances that prevented meaningful 

action to address outdoor air pollution and exposure to 

smog; 

Whereas Latinas become pregnant at a younger age than 

other racial and ethnic groups; and 

Whereas Latinas have the highest rate of pregnancy in the 

United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that causes of health-harming 

3 and climate-warming sources of pollution must be 

4 mitigated, broad policy changes are needed, and that 

5 there is an immediate need to equip pregnant 

6 Latinas and families that are overburdened by air 

7 pollution and heat exposure with preventative tools 

8 and knowledge during this period of heightened sus9 ceptibility for maternal and infant health; 

10 (2) recognizes that legislation and funding must 

11 include considerations of not only the unique phys12 ical and mental vulnerabilities to environmental exVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:25 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1494.IH HR1494

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HRES 1494 IH 

1 posures for pregnant women but also the social and 

2 economic injustices faced by Latina mothers; 

3 (3) supports providing place-based information 

4 in English and Spanish regarding vulnerabilities of 

5 pregnancy and tangible and affordable action items 

6 pregnant women can take to reduce exposure to air 

7 pollution and heat; 

8 (4) supports the placement of air quality moni9 toring systems in Latino communities to track pollu10 tion levels and inform residents about health-harm11 ing conditions; 

12 (5) supports bilingual, easily accessible public 

13 alerts for air quality and extreme heat and weather; 

14 (6) supports the incorporation of education 

15 about the unique vulnerabilities of pregnant women 

16 to pollution and heat into professional training for 

17 health care professionals, educators, and child care 

18 providers; 

19 (7) supports the improvement of extreme heat 

20 and air pollution guidelines at community centers 

21 and health care facilities, especially those facilities 

22 that serve women; 

23 (8) supports mutual aid networks and commu24 nity resilience programs to support pregnant women 

25 and families; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HRES 1494 IH 

1 (9) supports increased affordability of air condi2 tioning units and air purifiers for pregnant women 

3 and families; 

4 (10) supports expanded access to cooling cen5 ters and hydration stations in public areas such as 

6 bus stops and ‘‘clean’’ rooms in communities near 

7 busy roads and polluting facilities; 

8 (11) supports the creation of more shaded and 

9 green spaces in low-income neighborhoods to provide 

10 relief from heat and promote community mental 

11 wellness; 

12 (12) supports the enforcement of regular work 

13 breaks, increasing access to hydration and shade, 

14 and providing bilingual education on the dangers of 

15 heat exposure in the outdoor workforce, especially 

16 for pregnant women; 

17 (13) supports increasing access to Latina 

18 doulas; and 

19 (14) recognizes the importance of community20 based research and data collection to better under21 stand the risks and needs in Latino communities. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB