APHA Advocates ============== * Mark Barna ## APHA supports plan on climate change Rising temperatures, extreme weather and air pollution caused by climate change are causing many health problems for people in the U.S. To bolster federal efforts to address the health impacts, APHA and over 30 other health organizations are supporting the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act. The bill, reintroduced by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., May 17, would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategic action plan to help federal, state and local health departments prepare for and respond to the health impacts of climate change. The legislation would also authorize and bolster the work of the Climate and Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which for years has provided financial and technical support to state and local health departments to prepare for climate change’s health impacts. ![Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/51/6/2/F1.medium.gif) [Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/51/6/2/F1) APHA supports tougher U.S. greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency standards and a transition to electric cars in the near future. Photo courtesy 3alexd, courtesy iStockphoto ## APHA urges tougher emission standards The U.S. must set stronger greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change, APHA says. In a May 3 letter to President Joe Biden, APHA and partners urged the administration to set stronger fuel efficiency and pollution standards for cars, trucks and buses. The transportation sector is a leading source of air pollution, particularly harming vulnerable populations such as children, older adults and people with underlying health conditions. In May, APHA and partners called on President Biden again, calling for stronger pollution standards for buses and trucks, with a goal of achieving a zero-emission trucking sector by 2040. The advocates called on the Biden administration to set a national standard for trucks that achieves the equivalent of a 90% reduction in nitrogen oxide over the current standard, while also supporting states that are going further than what the current or future national standards require. The advocates also recommended steps to foster a transition to electric vehicles as rapidly as possible. ## APHA: Raise funding to reduce lead risk Lead in homes continues to be a health danger for children, with lead levels that are harmful to kids in an estimated 4 million U.S. households. The Biden administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes rebuilding America’s crumbling bridges and roads, improving public transportation options, and upgrading buildings and homes by making them more resistant to weather. The plan also allocates funding to replace lead drinking water pipes, a significant source of lead exposure. But paint chips and dust — particularly from paint used on windows — are a greater source of lead exposure among among kids. APHA and partners are calling for $19 billion in the final plan to replace inefficient, lead-contaminated windows in homes. The funding would help replace 25 million lead-painted windows. In a May letter to members of Congress, advocates recommended allocating $55 million over the next 10 years to replace all lead-contaminated windows in homes built before 1960, replacing them with windows that are more energy efficient. Funding would also go toward weatherizing homes, especially given the growing severity of weather events such as wildfires, heat waves, flooding and hurricanes. ![Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/51/6/2/F2.medium.gif) [Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/51/6/2/F2) *As the U.S. population grows older, more funding is needed to research healthy aging, APHA told Senate leaders in May*. Photo by Nicomenijes, courtesy iStockphoto ## Increase research on Alzheimer’s disease As the U.S. senior population swells, the nation’s health care system needs to keep pace, including offering preventive measures and possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. In a May 18 letter to Senate’s appropriations committee leaders, APHA and partners supported $60 million funding for the Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2022. The funding would be a $40 million increase over the 2021 budget. Recent research suggests that dementia can be delayed, and perhaps even prevented, through early intervention. Protective factors for dementia include exercise, diet and social engagement. Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia, affects 6.2 million people in the U.S. ## APHA backs local flavored tobacco ban Flavored tobacco products are gateways to nicotine addiction for youth, and local health officials should have the authority to pass measures to mitigate usage, APHA says. In May, APHA and other health organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Los Angeles County’s efforts to ban all flavored tobacco within its borders. *R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. County of Los Angeles* is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2019, Los Angeles County passed an ordinance banning flavored tobacco products, but before it was enacted, R.J. Reynolds in 2020 filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. In the court brief, the advocates state the county has the right under the U.S. Tobacco Control Act to protect its residents from flavored tobacco products and menthol cigarettes, which studies show youth are drawn to because of the flavors. Many of the youth become nicotine addicted and lifelong smokers. One year ago, California became the second state in the nation to pass statewide restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, and the Food and Drug Administration is considering a federal ban on flavored tobacco products and menthol cigarettes. FDA said in a statemen tin April that banning flavored tobacco and menthol cigarettes would “reduce youth initiation.” *To take action on public health, visit [www.apha.org/advocacy](http://www.apha.org/advocacy)*. * Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association