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Laws & Regulations

Summary of Executive Order 13045 - Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks

62 FR 19885; April 23, 1997

Executive Order (E.O.) 13045 - Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks - was issued by President William J. Clinton in 1997. The order applies to economically significant rules under E.O. 12866 that concern an environmental health or safety risk that EPA has reason to believe may disproportionately affect children. Environmental health risks or safety risks refer to risks to health or to safety that are attributable to products or substances that the child is likely to come in contact with or ingest (such as the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink or use for recreation, the soil we live on, and the products we use or are exposed to). When promulgating a rule of this description, EPA must evaluate the effects of the planned regulation on children and explain why the regulation is preferable to potentially effective and reasonably feasible alternatives.

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The fundamental goal of the Office of Children's Health Protection (OCHP) is to ensure that all EPA actions and programs address the unique vulnerabilities of children. See also: