WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Maternal health is a core focus at Moms Clean Air Force. Pregnant people want nothing more than to create a safe and healthy first environment for their babies. But climate-fueled extreme weather as well as air pollution is making it harder to do just that. Our work pushing for the strongest possible federal standards across all sectors to reduce harmful air and climate pollution supports maternal health. We also advocate for legislation that protects maternal and infant health, like the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act and the Resolution on Protecting Latina Maternal and Infant Health From Extreme Heat and Air Pollution.
MOMS ACTION
In an effort to protect maternal health we:
- EDUCATE We create educational content to inform our members and the public about maternal health concerns—plus steps they can take to safeguard their bodies and their growing babies.
- PETITION Our members have submitted 6,987 messages to Congress telling them to support Black and Latina maternal and infant health.
- PARTNER Moms works with several organizations on maternal health including National Hispanic Health Foundation, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (National Alliance of Women Farmworkers), and March of Dimes.
- AMPLIFY Members of Moms and EcoMadres attended and spoke at Representative Barragán’s press conference to introduce the Resolution on Protecting Latina Maternal and Infant Health From Extreme Heat and Air Pollution in September 2024.
- SUCCEED Moms pushed EPA to finalize enhanced protections to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) in 2024, a rule we’ve been working on for over a decade. Nearly 60 Moms testified at EPA’s hearing for the 2024 rule about mercury’s harms to children’s and babies’ developing brains and their experiences avoiding mercury during pregnancy.
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OUR MATERNAL HEALTH EXPERTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
WHY WE CARE
So much remains unknown about the impact environmental hazards can have on moms and developing infants. Climate change has drastically increased the incidence of heat waves, wildfires, and superstorms, all of which also increase air pollution. Extreme heat, for example, exacerbates ground-level ozone pollution, commonly called smog. Exposure to air pollutants such as ozone during certain periods of pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth, which can have long-term health consequences.
HEALTH IMPACTS
Pregnancy is a time of extreme sensitivity. Children exposed to pollution and extreme heat in the womb are at risk of low birth weight, improper immune system development, lower cognitive intelligence, and gestational diabetes as well as long-term health impacts, including asthma and high blood pressure.
Pregnancy is a time of extreme sensitivity.
Children exposed to pollution and extreme heat
in the womb are at risk.
COMMUNITY IMPACTS
While air pollution and extreme heat threaten all pregnant people, the impacts are disproportionately high in Black and Latino communities owing to their proximity to sources of pollution as well as exposure to extreme heat in living and working environments. Hispanic mothers are more likely to live in areas with high levels of air pollution compared to their white counterparts, are more impacted by wildfire smoke, and are at higher risk of stillbirths from ozone exposure. In the United States, Black women of all income and education levels are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.
BACK STORY ON
MATERNAL HEALTH
As long as babies are exposed to pollution before they take their first breath, Moms have and will continue to work tirelessly on legislation to protect pregnant people who are especially vulnerable to climate impacts. In 2021, we asked Congress to address the maternal mortality crisis in the United States. In the richest nation on earth, moms are dying at the highest rate in the developed world.
Moms held a congressional briefing and hosted several webinars for the public to raise awareness about the issues. Congress took a step forward by introducing the Black Maternal Health Act, or “Momnibus,” a package of 12 bills aimed to address different aspects of the Black maternal health crisis. We also supported a stand-alone bill introduced at the same time, the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act, introduced by Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Senator Ed Markey (MA), which specifically focused on mitigating the impacts of climate change on moms and babies. In 2023, the Momnibus was reintroduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representatives Underwood and Alma Adams (NC-12).
More Resources about Maternal Health

Science Matters: Carmen Marsit, Environmental Molecular Epidemiologist

How Climate and Air Pollution Are Silently Endangering Moms and Babies: Takeaways From the Maternal and Child Health Forum

Join Moms' Maternal & Children’s Health Forum Live May 8

Is Plastic Making Your Sperm Decline? Dr. Shanna Swan Answers at Moms’ Plastic Summit on April 3

New Resolution Seeks to Protect Latina Mothers From Extreme Heat and Air Pollution

Moms Join Rep. Nanette Barragán to Introduce Historic Latina Maternal Health Resolution

Pregnant? These 3 Must-Read Resources Are Just for You

Why EPA's New Mercury Protections Matter to Moms

The Placenta Is Not the Barrier We Once Thought It Was

Now Is the Time to Protect Children From Mercury

Concerned About Having a Baby Because of Climate Change? Read This Book.

Babies’ Lungs Contain Toxic Air Pollution Before Birth

Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Black Maternal Health

Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Latina Maternal Health

How Oil and Gas Operations Impact Your Baby's Health

Pregnancy, the Placenta, and Pollution

How Air Pollution Harms
Pregnant People

Cómo las operaciones de petróleo y gas impactan la salud de su bebé

La contaminación de aire, el calor extremo y la salud de madres afroamericanas

Cómo la contaminación de aire perjudica a las embarazadas

La contaminación del aire, el calor extremo y la salud materna entre las latinas

Cómo funciona el envenenamiento por mercurio

El embarazo, la placenta y la contaminación

How Mercury Poisoning Works
2025
Cómo la contaminación del aire y al calor extremo puede afectar a embarazadas
Air pollution messes up pregnant women’s metabolism, spurs preterm births
Estamos en mayor riesgo por cambio climático
El calentamiento global y la contaminación están impactando más a las mujeres latinas y negras
La crisis climática afecta a madres y a sus bebes
“No lo sabíamos”: Cómo el cambio climático y la contaminación del aire están poniendo en peligro silenciosamente la salud materna
[Op-Ed] “We Didn’t Know”: How Climate Change and Air Pollution Are Silently Endangering Maternal Health
Las amenazas silenciosas del medioambiente que afectan a las mujeres embarazadas
Las mujeres y la crisis climática: Un llamado urgente a la acción y la inclusión
In an Era of Environmental Deregulation, What Happens to Fetal and Reproductive Health Outcomes?
Physicians For Social Responsibility PA, Climate Action Campaign Webinar On The Impacts Of Climate Change On Women's Health Now Available On Demand
Pregnant and Worried About Wildfire Smoke? Here’s What To Do
2024
Protegiendo a las madres y niños latinos: la lucha urgente por tener familias saludables
Protecting Latina Mothers and Children: The Urgent Fight For Healthy Families
Climate Solution Advocacy Group: EcoMadres
Phoenix Summit Tackles Climate Impact on Latina Maternal and Child Health
El clima extremo afecta más a la comunidad latina, especialmente a las mujeres embarazadas y sus bebés
EcoMadres Summit on 12 News (Phoenix, Arizona)
WATCH: Phoenix event addresses pollution, heat impacts on Latina moms and kids
Entre el calor y la esperanza
How to teach kids about climate action

Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Black Maternal Health

Air Pollution, Extreme Heat, and Latina Maternal Health

How Oil and Gas Operations Impact Your Baby's Health

Pregnancy, the Placenta, and Pollution

How Air Pollution Harms
Pregnant People

Cómo las operaciones de petróleo y gas impactan la salud de su bebé

La contaminación de aire, el calor extremo y la salud de madres afroamericanas

Cómo la contaminación de aire perjudica a las embarazadas

La contaminación del aire, el calor extremo y la salud materna entre las latinas

Cómo funciona el envenenamiento por mercurio

El embarazo, la placenta y la contaminación
