Gore Announces New Data Showing July 1998 Hottest Month
Copyright 1998 U.S. Newswire
August 10, 1998
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Vice President Gore
announced new data today showing that July 1998 was the hottest month
on record, and he announced the first federal research centers
dedicated solely to studying children's environmental health hazards.
"Every month this year has set a new record for average global
temperature for that month, and July was the hottest of any month in
nearly 120 years," Vice President Gore said. "Scientists say we are
warming the planet and, unless we act, we can expect even more
extreme weather -- more heat waves, more flooding, more powerful
storms, and more drought."
The new data, from the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center, shows
that July 1998 set a new record for global temperature, making it the
hottest month since reliable records began in 1880. The average
global temperature for July was 61.7 degrees Fahrenheit, 1.26 degrees
higher than the long-term average for July, and 0.45 degrees higher
than the previous record, set in July 1997.
Today's announcement continues this year's record-breaking heat
trends -- each of the first seven months have set a new global
temperature record for that month, following 1997, which was the
warmest year on record. This summer is the warmest on record for
Texas, Louisiana and Florida. In Dallas, temperatures rose above 100
degrees 29 days in a row.
The Vice President again called on Congress to fully fund the
Administration's research and tax incentives designed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency and
developing clean energy technologies.
Along with causing more extreme weather, more heat in the climate
system promotes the formation of smog, which aggravates respiratory
problems. With that in mind, the Vice President also announced the
establishment of the first federal research centers dedicated solely
to studying children's environmental health hazards.
Children are at a disproportionate risk from environmental health
threats because -- pound for pound -- they breathe more air, drink
more water, and eat more food than adults. Children's behavior, such
as playing close to the ground, leads to greater exposures to these
threats. In addition, children's developing systems are more
vulnerable to environmental threats, which can result in illnesses
such as asthma attacks or reduced intellectual development.
"Our children are our most precious resource, and we must do all
we can to give them a safe, healthy environment," Vice President Gore
said. "These new research centers will ensure that our efforts to
prevent asthma and protect children against pesticides and other
environmental hazards are guided by the best possible science."
Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will finance "Centers
of Excellence in Children's Environmental Health Research" at eight
leading research institutions. These unique centers will perform
targeted research into children's environmental health, and
translate their scientific findings into intervention and prevention
strategies by working directly with communities and community groups.
The research centers include: the University of Southern
California's School of Medicine; the University of Iowa's College of
Medicine; the University of Michigan's School of Public Health; Johns
Hopkins University's Children's Center; the University of California
at Berkeley's School of Public Health; the University of Washington's
Department of Environmental Health; Mount Sinai School of Medicine,
in New York; and Columbia University's School of Public Health, also
in New York. Through an extensive peer review process, health
experts in and out of government selected each center, which will
receive between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.
The centers will address two of the most important areas of
children's environmental health -- the causes of asthma and the
effects of pesticide exposure. Recent reports have found an alarming
rise of childhood asthma in the United States; asthma in children
under five increased 160 percent from 1980 to 1994, and is now the
number one cause for childhood hospitalization.
The work at five of these research centers will improve the
nation's understanding of the link between the rise in asthma rates
and secondhand smoke, smog, and other pollutants. The other three
centers will examine children's vulnerabilities to pesticides, which
can affect the endocrine system, reduce intellectual development, and
cause damage to the central nervous system.
Recognizing children's vulnerability to environmental health
threats and the need for improved research, President Clinton issued
the Executive Order on the Protection of Children from Environmental
Health Risks and Safety Risks on April 21, 1997, which made
children's environmental health a federal priority and included steps
to improve research. In response, EPA and the HHS allocated $10.6
million for the establishment of eight "Centers of Excellence in
Children's Environmental Health Research."
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Following is a description of each grant.
University of Southern California, School of Medicine Los
Angeles, CA
With the help of the $1.35 million grant, the University of
Southern California Department of Preventive Medicine, in conjunction
with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of
Medicine will investigate the relationship of second-hand tobacco
smoke, air pollution, and indoor allergens to the development of
asthma in children. In partnership with Communities for a Better
Environment and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation Los Angeles
Chapter, the center will conduct a major research and intervention
study in Los Angeles communities to develop tools for health and
environmental officials to better protect children's health.
Concerned Citizens for South Central Los Angeles and Mothers of East
Los Angeles-Santa Isabel will serve as advisors.
University of Iowa, College of Medicine Iowa City, Iowa
The College of Medicine at the University of Iowa will use the
$1.21 million grant to investigate respiratory illness in children
from rural communities. Together with the Keokuk County Rural
Health Study, researchers will examine causes of asthma in children
living in rural Keokuk County and develop a multi-component
approach for reducing levels of respiratory illness among children
in rural areas.
University of Michigan, School of Public Health Ann Arbor, MI
With the $1.3 million grant, the University of Michigan School of
Public Health will study environmental factors which contribute to
pediatric asthma. Working with the Kettering/Butzel Health
Initiative, Detroit Health Department, Warren/Conner Development
Coalition, Butzel Family Center, Latino Family Services, and United
Community Housing Coalition, researchers will conduct assessments of
asthmatic children in Detroit and use findings to develop initiatives
to reduce asthma among inner-city children.
Johns Hopkins University Children's Center Baltimore, MD
The Johns Hopkins University Hospital School of Medicine will use
its $1.31 million grant to examine the role of air pollutants such as
particulate matter, environmental tobacco smoke, and ozone in rising
asthma rates among inner city children. By studying students in
Baltimore City Schools, researchers will determine how exposures to
environmental pollutants and allergens relate to asthma and develop
new ways to protect children from environmental health risks.
University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health
Berkeley, CA
The School of Public Health at the University of California at
Berkeley plans to use its $1.18 million award to evaluate the impact
of pesticide exposure on children's growth and development. Working
with La Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas and La Natividad
Medical Center, the school will study the effects of pesticide
exposure in children of the agricultural community of Salinas, CA and
develop methods to protect children from health risks associated with
pesticides.
University of Washington, Department of Environmental Health
Seattle, WA
The University of Washington Department of Environmental Health
will use its $1.35 million grant to conduct research on the special
vulnerability of children to health risks from pesticides. In
conjunction with the Washington State Migrant Council, this center
will implement research and intervention projects among children of
farm workers in Yakima Valley to provide local, state and Federal
officials with new tools and approaches for improving the health of
children in agricultural regions across the nation.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, NY
With the help of a $1.4 million grant, the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine will undertake research to identify, characterize, and
prevent developmental effects among inner city children resulting
from exposures to pollutants that occur in their diets and homes. In
cooperation with East Harlem Community Health Committee and the
Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, Mount Sinai will develop both
direct and indirect methods for reducing household exposures to
pollutants and will attempt to apply these methods broadly across
East Harlem.
Columbia University, School of Public Health New York, NY
The Columbia University School of Public Health will use the $1.48
million grant to investigate the relationship between environmental
pollutants, such as particulate matter and environmental tobacco
smoke, and the incidence of asthma among inner city children.
Working in partnership with West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. and
the New York State Department of Health, this center will develop and
evaluate a community-wide intervention to increase the awareness of
environmental hazards and educate community members to prevent and
reduce them.
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