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There are many solutions to these environmental health problems.A range of effective interventions exists in the areas of policy, education, awareness raising, technology development, and behavioral change. Such interventions can be extremely cost-effective and are implemented by policyand decision-makers, householders, communities, educators, government officials and many other stakeholders.

• Extending access to improved water sources in rural and urban areas.
• Targeting hygiene education on key behaviors at both children and adults.
• Safe water storage at home, as well as treatment of water in the home when its quality is in doubt.
• Reliable safe water supply in schools. This has a direct impact on health and also provides a model that serves an educational purpose.
• Protecting all water resources from contamination.
• Targeted measures in areas affected by hazardous chemicals in drinking water, such as lead, fluoride and arsenic.

• Ensure that children have access to safe sanitary facilities and that children's feces are safely disposed of.
• Adequate and separate latrines for boys and girls in schools. This encourages latrine use and thus reduces disease transmission.
• Proper waste management and relocation of waste dumps away from human settlements to protect children from scavenging and from exposure to hazards.
• Washing hands with soap before meals and after using the bathroom.

• Good ventilation, clean fuels, and better cooking stoves decrease indoor air pollution and cut down on the incidence and severity of acute respiratory infections.
• Protecting children from smoking and from second-hand tobacco smoke reduces the risk of respiratory disorders and other ill-health effects later in life.
• Use of unleaded gasoline reduces lead exposure in children and prevents developmental disorders.
• Sound transport and health policies reduce respiratory illness and unintentional injuries in urban children.
• Clean air plans reduce the exposure of children to outdoor air pollution.

• Since children often go to bed when mosquitoes become active, the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the screening of windows, doors and eaves provide a very effective means of protecting them against malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
• General environmental management, including improved water management in irrigated areas, and drainage or filling of water collections, may help reduce transmission risks.
• Hygiene education and designated safe places to swim, along with periodic deworming, will reduce the transmission risks of schistosomiasis.
• Covering water storage containers and periodically emptying and drying out containers—such as buckets, discarded food containers, flower vases, and car tires—help eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites, thus reducing transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.

• Ensure safe storage and packaging, and clear labeling, of cleaners, fuels, solvents, pesticides and other chemicals used at home and in schools.
• Promote the use of child-resistant packages for pharmaceuticals and for chemical products.
• Inform parents, teachers and caregivers about the potential chemical hazards in the places where children spend their time.
• Train healthcare providers on the recognition, prevention and management of toxic exposures, and on the use of the pediatric environmental history to investigate specific risks to which children are exposed.
• Incorporate the teaching of chemical safety and health into school curricula.
• Create and enforce legislation to promote the safe use and disposal of chemicals.
• Promote policies to reduce and remedy environmental pollution.
• Avoid the construction of homes, schools and playgrounds near polluted areas and hazardous installations.
• Promote “poison-control” educational campaigns.

• Develop national policies on injury prevention and advocate for greater resources.
• Improve enforcement of existing laws.
• Institute systematic surveillance for unintentional injuries.
• Educate community members in first aid.
• Coordinate emergency services.
• Install window guards and bed rails in the home.
• Use helmets when riding on motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.
• Use child safety seats and safety belts in motor vehicles.
• Raise or enclose cooking areas.
• Teach children to swim and encourage supervision of children around water.
• Use fire-resistant fabrics.
• Use child-proof caps for containers of pesticides, medicines and fuels.
• Develop public awareness campaigns to teach injury prevention.

Part 3: Ensuring Healthy Places

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