**GAO-08-1155T**                      Published: Sep 16, 2008. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

According to EPA, children face disproportionate risks from contaminants such as air pollution and lead paint. The health consequences to the country's 74 million children are significant. In 2006, 55 percent of children lived in counties exceeding allowable levels for at least one of the six principal air pollutants such as ozone which causes or aggravates asthma. Asthma is the third-most common cause of childhood hospitalization, resulting in $3.2 billion in treatment costs and 14 million lost school days annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1997, EPA created the Office of Children's Health and convened the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) to provide advice and recommendations to assist in developing regulations, guidance, and policies to address children's health. In April 1997, the President signed Executive Order 13045, creating an interagency Task Force to recommend federal strategies for protecting children. Our testimony is based on ongoing work on the extent to which EPA has used the Advisory Committee and addressed the committee's key recommendations. It also includes information about the Task Force. We met with numerous EPA officials and analyzed the committee's letters. GAO recommends, among other things, that EPA expeditiously complete its review of the Advisory Committee's key recommendations.

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## Topics

Natural Resources and Environment

AccountabilityAdolescent healthAdvisory committeesAir qualityChildrenContaminantsContaminationEnvironmental lawEnvironmental monitoringExecutive ordersFederal advisory bodiesFederal regulationsHealth hazardsInternal controlsPolicy evaluationPollution controlProgram evaluationPublic healthRegulatory agenciesStandardsStrategic planningAir pollutionAir pollution controlAsthmaInteragency relationsRisk management