Montgomery, Oct. 24, 2002---October is Children's Health Month. The entire month is dedicated to providing information that will better prevent and protect children from accidents and illnesses and teach young people skills to be safe, self-confident and successful.

In cooperation with Children's Health Month, Gov. Don Siegelman proclaimed Oct. 21, Children's Environmental Health Day in Alabama.

"There are so many issues now that affect children's health and such a lack of correct information out there," said Gwen Lewis, an Extension urban agent in Montgomery County.

"It's imperative that parents and other child caregivers know and exercise the latest safety precautions and pay attention to consumer safety warnings."

To help meet this need, Lewis put together a team of health-conscious partners and presented a one-day workshop geared specifically to day-care providers, school nurses, community health educators and social services professionals in Montgomery, Elmore and Autauga counties.

The "Healthy Environments for Children" workshop, held Oct. 21 at Vaughn Park Church of Christ, provided valuable information and training to more than 50 participants.

Extension Urban Agents Shannon Andress and Yvonne Thomas provided a "What's in the Jar" discussion and hands-on demonstration on poison prevention in the home.

"With children's lower body weights, smalller size and many more years to grow, they can be so adversely affected by environmental contaminants and cleaning agents found in and around the home" said Andress. "It's important for parents to keep these products out of the reach of children and in original or labeled airtight containers," Andress said.

Angela Jenkins, a health educator with the Alabama Department of Public Health, discussed ways to protect children from lead poisoning.

"Almost a million children in the United States under age 6 suffer from lead poisoning. Most children are poisoned by lead dust that gets on their hands and then into their mouths," Jenkins said. Lead dust comes from peeling or damaged paint or from sanding or scraping paint in older homes.

Mold and mildew also can cause illnesses in children and adults.

Gary Jones, director of indoor air quality for the Alabama Department of Public Health, provided guidelines on mold detection, cleanup and removal of mold contaminated materials.

"Mold needs a food source, moisture and a place to grow," said Jones. "The microscopic organisms can be found everywhere. When large numbers of airborne mold spores are present in a home, they can cause allergic reactions, asthma episodes, infections and other respiratory problems."

About 17 million Americans have asthma. It is the leading cause of long-term illness in children.

Dr. J. Allen Meadows, a clinical instructor at the Montgomery Internal Medicine Residency, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, discussed asthma triggers, types of asthma prevention and rescue medications and how important it is for asthma patients to follow and stick with proper treatment and prevention procedures.

Denise Donald, with the Alabama Dept. of Public Health, concluded the workshop with a discussion on harmful effects of secondhand cigarette smoke.

"Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. This mixture contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals," said Donald.

The EPA estimates that secondhand smoke is annually responsible for up to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months and up to 15,000 hospitalizations each year. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have reduced lung function, respiratory irritations and buildup of fluid in the middle ear.

Partners who worked with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Montgomery County office included the Montgomery County Family Guidance Center, the Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery County Public Schools Nurses, Calhoun Enterprises, the Montgomery County Action Council/Head Start, All Kids and Glasxco Smith-Kline Pharmaceutical Company.