Environmental Policy Achievements

For more than three decades, EHHI has helped translate scientific research into policies that protect public health. While many of these efforts began in Connecticut, serving as a policy laboratory, they have informed legislation, regulatory initiatives, and public health discussions across the United States and beyond.

Pesticides in schools and daycare facilities. EHHI's early research on pesticide use in schools helped advance legislation requiring licensed applicators, parent and staff notification, pesticide records, signage, and limits on pesticide applications during school hours. EHHI later supported additional restrictions on lawn care pesticides around schools and childcare facilities. These efforts helped raise national awareness of children's exposure to pesticides and informed similar policy discussions in other states.

Residential pesticide misting systems. In 2018, Connecticut became the first state to prohibit residential automatic pesticide misting systems, which use permanently installed nozzles to release insecticides around homes. Nancy and EHHI helped draw attention to the risks these systems posed to children, pets, and neighboring properties while highlighting the regulatory gap that had allowed repeated residential spraying.

Indoor air quality and diesel exhaust. EHHI's research and advocacy contributed to policies improving indoor air quality in schools, reducing school bus idling, and advancing clean diesel initiatives. These efforts reflected Nancy's belief that common environmental exposures should be reexamined through the lens of public health rather than accepted simply because they had become routine.

Asthma tracking and children's health. EHHI supported efforts to strengthen asthma surveillance and public health data, improving understanding of disease patterns and environmental exposures affecting children and families. Bisphenol A and consumer products. EHHI's research, public education, and legislative engagement contributed to restrictions on BPA in children's and food products, helping advance broader national discussions about endocrine-disrupting chemicals in consumer products.

Indoor tanning. EHHI supported legislation prohibiting minors from using indoor tanning beds, bringing greater attention to preventable environmental contributors to skin cancer.

Pollinator protection. EHHI supported legislation protecting pollinators while raising awareness of the broader connections between pesticide use, ecosystem health, and human health.

Bottle bill modernization. Late in her career, Nancy advocated for modernization of Connecticut's bottle deposit system, including expanding the range of covered beverage containers and increasing the refundable deposit from five cents to ten cents. The effort reflected EHHI's longstanding commitment to reducing plastic pollution and promoting policies that protect both environmental and human health.