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Environmental health issues, such as the particulates that cause or exacerbate asthma, lead paint, and cigarette smoke, can be major factors in the quality of life of the residents of Metro Boston, especially those who live in the Inner Core or Regional Urban Centers.  Asthma is a medical condition that is on the rise, and one that disproportionately affects residents of Boston and other urban centers in the region – studies have shown that, while statewide asthma rates for children are just under 15%, at selected Boston elementary schools, more than 30% of students suffer from the condition.  Air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, is a crucial factor in exacerbating asthma .

20)    Expand the use of healthy building techniques
The health of all of a building’s users can be profoundly affected by the quality of its indoor air.  This in turn is dependent upon physical and mechanical design (such as ventilation and location of wastes and toxics), the choice of building materials, the management of construction emissions, and building operations and maintenance. Additionally, access to daylight has been found to favorably affect productivity and health outcomes. 

20.a    State Agencies should adopt green and healthy building techniques for public buildings and buildings built with public support

20.b    The Department of Housing and Community Development should mandate that all public housing be smoke-free

21)    Improve indoor air quality in schools
School administrators can take a number of steps to ensure the improved air quality of their schools at little or no additional cost.  School superintendents should follow the steps outlined in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools program.  This includes assigning and training IAQ coordinators at each school in the district, assessing current and potential problems at each school, and prioritizing IAQ improvement projects.  More information is available on the EPA website at:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html. 

22)    Reduce pesticide use
Some pesticides can have seriously adverse effects on those who come into contact with them, from those that affect the nervous system to those that are carcinogens, known to contribute to cancer risk.  While not all commercial pesticides are dangerous, public health and environmental officials are moving more and more to recommending the use of safer, more natural alternatives. 

An approach that is gaining favor with these officials is called Integrated Pest Management, and is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as “the coordinated use of pest and environmental information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment” .  In practical terms, this means using mechanical trapping devices, natural predators (e.g., insects that eat other insects), insect growth regulators, or mating disruption substances (pheromones) before turning to chemicals to control pests.  

22.a    The Department of Agricultural Resources should regulate pesticide use on all public property

22.b    Local and state government agencies should switch from exclusively relying on pesticides to using Integrated Pest Management for landscaping properties under their control.

23)    Increase lead-based paint abatement programs
Lead paint is another factor in the urban environment that is a major detriment on the health of the residents of the region’s cities.  The Commonwealth offers homeowners tax credits for lead paint remediation work that they perform.  Additionally, the Department of Housing and Community Development, Get the Lead Out Program currently provides loans to qualified homeowners whose homes contain lead-based paint.  Some cities and nonprofits also administer abatement programs with other funding provided by DHCD.  These programs are threatened.  

The Department of Housing and Community Development should partner with local academic institutions to determine the need for increased state funding and support for lead paint abatement programs

24)    Expand tobacco cessation programs
Cigarette smoking, like lead paint remediation, is an issue that is no longer getting the press it once was.   With this decline in attention has come a decline in state funding for smoking control programs, anti-smoking programs targeting youth, and other public health matters connected to tobacco.  In fact, the state’s tobacco prevention program had its funding cut by more than 90 percent in 2003, falling from a high of  $54 million a year to a mere $2.5 million in FY2004 .  This decline has corresponded in an alarming upward trend in cigarette sales, particularly to youth and minorities.  The Commonwealth must bolster its tobacco prevention and control programs, and dramatically increase the amount it spends on tobacco prevention and smoking cessation. 

24.a    The legislature should continue to fund smoking cessation initiatives covered by Medicare