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Tobacco Companies to Pay for Buyout, But FDA Authority Still Lacking
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Archive
October 27, 2004
Rocket Fuel Plume Discovered Near D.C.'s Drinking Water Supply
The Washington Post reports that a toxic chemical component of rocket fuel,in concentrations 80 times what the Environmental Protection Agency
considers safe for human consumption, has been found near a reservoir that
supplies drinking water to the District of Columbia.
Although health officials insist there is no immediate threat to the
District's drinking water supplies, the discovery – which the agency kept
quiet for more than a year – sharpens the nationwide debate over the health
threats of perchlorate, which is known to contaminate water or soil in more
than 40 states. At most of the hundreds of sites of known contamination, the
chemical leaked from military bases or defense plants.
The EPA's preliminary risk assessment says drinking water concentrations of
perchlorate of more than 1 part per billion (ppb) are unsafe, and pose a
particular risk for pregnant women, fetuses and infants. The chemical can
disrupt normal functioning of the thyroid gland, which controls growth and
development, leading to learning disabilities and deficiencies in motor
skills.
The EPA's risk assessment is under review by the National Academy of
Sciences, but officials in Massachusetts and California agree that very low
levels of perchlorate are a health risk. Massachusetts has set a limit of 1
ppb in drinking water, while California's standard is 6 ppb. Both are in
sharp contrast to claims by the Pentagon and defense contractors that
perchlorate is safe at up to 200 ppb.
EWG, which has conducted a series of groundbreaking studies on perchlorate,
argues that a drinking water standard should be no more than one-tenth the
EPA's current recommendation, or 0.1 ppb. EWG's tests have found perchlorate
in lettuce and milk, and other researchers have found it in a wide range of
food crops.
View EWG's studies
Read The Washington Post coverage
DuPont's 3Q Profits Match Potential Teflon Fine
According to news reports, Teflon maker DuPont reported earning $331 million in the third quarter this year. That amount will just cover the possible $313 million fine it faces for illegally hiding from the EPA studies finding that their Teflon chemical moves from mother's blood to baby and that it had polluted drinking water supplies used by thousands of Ohioans and West Virginians.EWG reported these two flagrant violations of pollution law to EPA in April 2003. In September 2004, we asked the EPA to ensure that the Agency stay true to its intent to "send a message" by imposing the maximum fine against Teflon maker DuPont.
The EPA is likely to recommend a fine amount to an EPA judge on or before November 22, 2004.
For more information about Teflon pollution, please visit http://www.ewg.org/issues/PFCs/index.php.
October 14, 2004
EPA Enforcement Officers Questioned
According to the Los Angeles Times, when confronted with criticism about the number of pollution lawsuits that EPA has filed during his tenure, EPA's Acting Enforcement Chief Tom Skinner asserted that EPA is actively pursuing settlements with polluters rather than lawsuits to punish violations of environmental laws.EWG has pressed for enforcement action from Skinner's office for over a year regarding DuPont's illegal suppression of studies showing its Teflon chemical was polluting drinking water of residents near its Teflon plant in West Virginia, and that the chemical was found in newborn babies' blood. This Teflon chemical is in the blood of over 90% of Americans, never breaks down and causes several serious health problems in laboratory animals.
The first court hearing in the case of EPA vs. DuPont takes place on October 28 in Washington, DC. EWG urges Acting Enforcement Chief Skinner to recommend that the court assess the maximum fine of $313 million against DuPont.
For more information on Teflon pollution, please visit http://www.ewg.org/issues/PFCs/index.php.
October 8, 2004
Tobacco Companies to Pay for Buyout, But FDA Authority Still Lacking
Yesterday House and Senate committee members agreed on a bill that would have the tobacco industry, rather than taxpayers, spend $9.6 billion to buy out tobacco quotas. While the bill rightly ends an outdated, lopsided subsidy system, Congress let slip a key provision that would have given the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate the manufacture and sale of cigarettes. Without FDA authority to regulate tobacco, this legislation does not pass the sniff test.The Washington Post reports that at least two Senators plan to either kill the bill or attempt to put the tobacco regulation provision back in the bill.
An EWG analysis, released last month, uses US Department of Agriculture data to show that 436,719 farm entities will share the $9.6 billion, with the average grower or holder collecting an average payment of $21,982. Some 462 farm entities will receive over one million dollars each, and over 7,800 estates stand to collect $172 million from the tobacco industry.