The Clinton administration today will unveil a "comprehensive executive order" instructing the federal government to "move aggressively" to safeguard children from environmental hazards.
The executive order, which will be issued by Vice President Al Gore this afternoon at a Washington, D.C. hospital, is expected to be "much broader in scope" than the mandate given to an EPA office established earlier this year to address children's environmental issues (Greenwire, 3/3).
According to a draft report of the order, Clinton will call on every federal agency to "establish the protection of children as a priority" when developing any regulations or standards regarding toxic pollutants or other environmental health threats.
Currently, most regulations and standards are based on the effects of environmental pollutants on adult males.
The executive order also calls for the creation of a Task Force on Environmental Health Risks that will include representatives from the White House and federal agencies that regulate risks from toxic pollutants (Louis Freeberg, S.F. Chronicle, 4/21).
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