States have tremendous power to protect their residents’ health. In the absence of adequate federal safeguards against pollution and toxic chemicals, state policies are the strongest tools available to create safe, sustainable environments. The good news is, around the country, red states and blue states are taking up the charge.

In California, state agencies are partnering with disadvantaged communities to measure air quality, reduce pollution, and advance environmental justice. In Texas, a state law requires every school to cut down on the use of dangerous pesticides, helping to keep kids safe. In New York, a network of clinics trains medical professionals in occupational health and children’s environmental health, ensuring that patients receive excellent care and specialists are ready to advocate for protective policies. The success of these programs is not haphazard; instead, effective approaches share key elements, including state-university-industry partnerships, collaboration across government agencies, and strong environmental health education.

In A Healthy Union, Susan Kaplan highlights examples of groundbreaking state environmental health policies, exploring what has worked, what needs improvement, and how other areas of the country can build on these advances. Further, she shows how public health advocates can push forward new protections, creating safer environments for the next generation. Ultimately, Kaplan argues, we need a coordinated federal and state response to environmental health threats. Until then, innovative policy solutions can go a long way to improve the nation’s wellbeing, one state at a time.
 
 

Susan Kaplan, JD is Research Assistant Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago. She previously developed regulations at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, D.C., managed a state program to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites, and was assistant director of an energy policy group at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Ensia, and other outlets. She lives mainly in Vermont.