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 inter-
ventions must be rapidly and equitably developed and 
deployed to address the unique vulnerabilities of preg-
nancy in Latino communities. 
Whereas there is a significant association between air pollu-
tion and heat exposure to maternal and fetal health out-
comes in the United States; 
Whereas pregnancy represents a sensitive window of suscepti-
bility to environmental toxins for women, as the pregnant 
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•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, mis-
carriage, and failure of assisted reproductive technology; 
Whereas air pollutant exposure can be linked to reduced con-
ception 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 asth-
ma and allergy development in children, and increase off-
spring 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 edu-
cational status; 
Whereas, of all groups, Latina mothers have the highest like-
lihood of living in areas with the highest levels of air pol-
lution 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 still-
birth from ozone exposure throughout their entire preg-
nancy than other ethnicities; 
Whereas climate change is linked to and exacerbates ozone 
production in the atmosphere; 
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•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-His-
panic Whites; 
Whereas, even with private insurance, Latinas have a 22-per-
cent 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, socio-
economic status, education, lack of proper access to 
health care, and sexism and racism within health care 
systems that inhibit proper communication and treat-
ment; 
Whereas language barriers and medical and institutional mis-
trust prevent Latinas from accessing critical information 
and from communicating needs to medical professionals; 
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•HRES 1494 IH 
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 frustra-
tion 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 sus-
ceptibility for maternal and infant health; 
(2) recognizes that legislation and funding must 
include considerations of not only the unique phys-
ical and mental vulnerabilities to environmental ex-
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•HRES 1494 IH 
posures 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 moni-
toring systems in Latino communities to track pollu-
tion levels and inform residents about health-harm-
ing 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 commu-
nity resilience programs to support pregnant women 
and families; 
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