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Political officials at EPA have overruled the agency’s career scientists to weaken a major health assessment for a toxic chemical contaminating the drinking water of an estimated 860,000 Americans. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/13/trump-epa-toxic-chemical-458962
The assessment of PFBS -- a "forever chemical" used in firefighting foam, carpeting, and food packaging that is linked with thyroid, kidney & reproductive problems -- has been in the works for more than 3 years, and is part of the Trump admin's much-touted work on PFAS.
But at the last minute, political officials at EPA sidelined the expert risk assessors who had led work on the draft and directed staff in a totally separate office to rewrite the key findings.
The new version, outside public health experts say, could allow DoD, industry and state regulators to "cherry pick" the safety threshold they like best, regardless of whether it is sufficiently protective of sensitive populations like pregnant women.
It's the Trump admin's effort to fundamentally alter the way EPA can use science, and is part of a long-running effort by Republicans and industry to undermine the agency's independent risk assessment program.
