```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1494 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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. Barragan (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Velazquez, 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 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;
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;
Whereas disproportionate exposure to pollution and climate-induced 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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that causes of health-harming and climate-
        warming sources of pollution must be mitigated, broad policy 
        changes are needed, and that there is an immediate need to 
        equip pregnant Latinas and families that are overburdened by 
        air pollution and heat exposure with preventative tools and 
        knowledge during this period of heightened susceptibility for 
        maternal and infant health;
            (2) recognizes that legislation and funding must include 
        considerations of not only the unique physical and mental 
        vulnerabilities to environmental exposures for pregnant women 
        but also the social and economic injustices faced by Latina 
        mothers;
            (3) supports providing place-based information in English 
        and Spanish regarding vulnerabilities of pregnancy and tangible 
        and affordable action items pregnant women can take to reduce 
        exposure to air pollution and heat;
            (4) supports the placement of air quality monitoring 
        systems in Latino communities to track pollution levels and 
        inform residents about health-harming conditions;
            (5) supports bilingual, easily accessible public alerts for 
        air quality and extreme heat and weather;
            (6) supports the incorporation of education about the 
        unique vulnerabilities of pregnant women to pollution and heat 
        into professional training for health care professionals, 
        educators, and child care providers;
            (7) supports the improvement of extreme heat and air 
        pollution guidelines at community centers and health care 
        facilities, especially those facilities that serve women;
            (8) supports mutual aid networks and community resilience 
        programs to support pregnant women and families;
            (9) supports increased affordability of air conditioning 
        units and air purifiers for pregnant women and families;
            (10) supports expanded access to cooling centers and 
        hydration stations in public areas such as bus stops and 
        ``clean'' rooms in communities near busy roads and polluting 
        facilities;
            (11) supports the creation of more shaded and green spaces 
        in low-income neighborhoods to provide relief from heat and 
        promote community mental wellness;
            (12) supports the enforcement of regular work breaks, 
        increasing access to hydration and shade, and providing 
        bilingual education on the dangers of heat exposure in the 
        outdoor workforce, especially for pregnant women;
            (13) supports increasing access to Latina doulas; and
            (14) recognizes the importance of community-based research 
        and data collection to better understand the risks and needs in 
        Latino communities.
                                 <all>
```