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UPDATE: EPA to deny 'Brokovitch' carcinogen for residential use
DEBATE: The future of U.S. chemical regulation
MPG estimates get more realistic in 2008
FEATURED
Elected officials MIA; Instead Wal-Mart and Burger King protecting your health
Back to school: Are we ready? Are we non-toxic?
Fire retardants: Disproportionate risk to small children
Lead: Celebrate its ban, but don't cross it off your list
7 ways to reduce your exposure to PBDEs
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Category Archive
EPA's diacetyl secret
It's no secret that diacetyl, the chemical that gives butter-flavored microwave popcorn it's buttery-ness, has caused serious and sometimes fatal lung disease in workers in flavoring and popcorn factories. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health released a study earlier this year confirming that long-term exposure to the chemical in its vaporized form causes swelling and scaring in pulmonary passageways, resulting in a form of lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans.
Does that effect you, the popcorn-consumer? Good question. You could try asking the EPA -- they know, but they're not telling.
An EPA study completed in 2003 could likely tell us what level of household exposure is typical, and what level is risky. I'd love to know -- wouldn't you? But the EPA has only released the study to the popcorn and flavoring industries whose business may be affected by it. They were ostensibly given the study in order to verify that it contained no proprietary information, but they've had it for years now. I know those things can be pretty dense, but really, it shouldn't be taking them quite this long to get through.
After all, knowing that diacetyl exposure is dangerous could really help people. Take for example the Colorado furniture salesman whose case is profiled in the New York Times today. For years now he's been popping himself some corn twice a day and tearing open the bag to relish that buttery smell. Wouldn't it have been nice if the EPA had let him know that he was exposing himself to unsafe levels of a demonstrably dangerous chemical?
Pop Weaver, one of the major brands of microwave popcorn, announced recently that they will stop using diacetyl. ConAgra, the nation's largest producer of microwave popcorn, didn't hop on the bandwagon until the threat to consumers made news this week. Both companies claim that their discontinued use of the product is because of customer concerns -- not, they insist, because the chemical is unsafe. That's awfully altruistic of them, don't you think? I can't remember the last time an industry stopped using a perfectly safe chemical just because some customers were concerned, especially when those customers had few alternative options.
But I didn't come here to discuss industry finagling, so let's get back to the point: the EPA has dropped the ball on this one. As unfortunate as it is that it took a case of "popcorn workers' lung" in a consumer to bring large-scale media attention to this story, this is the perfect opportunity for the agency to catch it on the bounce and release the study to the public.
The Pump Handle has everything you need for a more complete history of bronchiolitis obliterans and flavoring workers. Kudos to them for being on top of this story from the get-go.
If you break it, you should pay for it
I wonder what would happen Congress decided it was high time corporate polluters and not the taxpayers should once again pick up the tab for cleaning up the messes they made at the thousands of Superfund sites across the country?
The White House almost never misses an opportunity to call for policies that allow the American taxpayer to keep more of his or her paycheck. But, when the Bush administration looked around for some good ideas on how to achieve this, reinstating the “Polluter Pays” tax on the industries responsible for the environmentally hazardous sites wasn’t even mentioned.
The Republican-controlled Congress let the fee on corporate polluters expire back in 1995, and since then all the money in Superfund has been spent, forcing taxpayers to pay the entire bill. Now that power has changed hands in Congress, Democrats and moderate Republicans might move to reinstate the fee so the big chemical companies and large manufacturers who dumped their toxins and left behind dangerous chemicals that have left millions of families exposed are once again forced to pay for their cleanup.
If Congress took action, we hope President Bush would put the public’s health ahead of the financial interests of those industries that are responsible for the contamination in the first place.
CA Senator tells EPA chief no more bowing to industry
"I want to send a clear signal to EPA and to this administration: We are watching. No longer will EPA rollbacks quietly escape scrutiny."
--California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer warning EPA administrator Stephen Johnson over rules changes that could limit the input of scientific advisers into agency decisions and reduce public access to information about toxic substances in communities.
UPDATE: EPA to deny 'Brokovitch' carcinogen for residential use
After pressure from EWG and an ABC News story, EPA has announced it will “deny all applications for registration of acid copper chromate, known as ACC, as a wood preservative pesticide intended for residential use.”
Previously:
EPA may allow 'Brockovich' carcinogen in wood preservative. (4 Jan 07)
Update 1/9/07: Washington Post covers EPA decision
DEBATE: The future of U.S. chemical regulation
In Chemical & Engineering News’ Point/Counterpoint an American Chemistry Council (ACC) representative and a University of Massachusetts professor debate the adequacy of current chemical regulation in the U.S. One of the most shocking facts in the article comes right in the introduction:
The Environmental Protection Agency oversees commercial chemicals through a statute signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). That law has remained substantially unchanged for 30 years.
MPG estimates get more realistic in 2008
EPA's new system for measuring fuel efficiency should bring cars’ advertised MPG closer to their actual gas mileage. At present, fuel efficiency testing is not done under real world driving conditions, so the sticker numbers represent inflated fuel mileage.
Interestingly, hybrids will probably see the largest decline in their MPG sticker numbers, as the new tests, slated to roll out in 2008, incorporate more cold-weather driving and quick acceleration—neither of which make efficient use of a hybrid’s electric capabilities.
Continue reading "MPG estimates get more realistic in 2008" »
EPA considers dropping landmark lead restrictions
Battery makers and lead smelters have been lobbying the Bush administration to roll back standards that keep lead out of gasoline—and their efforts may prove successful—for industry, that is.
According to a statement released by the EPA earlier this week, the agency is considering dropping the lead limits in light of " the significantly changed circumstances since lead was listed in 1976" as an air pollutant. Yes, the success of the lead regulations--which according to the EPA have cut airborne lead levels by 90% in two in a half decades—may be the excuse for their termination.
California Rep. Henry Waxman has spoken out against this measure, demanding that the agency scrap the proposal immediately. Lead, which causes nerve damage and neurotic disorders, particularly in children, is one of six air pollutants the EPA must review every year to ensure stringent enough health protections. The others are ozone, soot, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides.
Link to the Wall Street Journal article (subscription only)
EPA backs off -- halfway -- on plan
to gut toxics reporting
EPA administrator Stephen Johnson has announced that the administration is dropping its plan to excuse companies from annual reporting of their toxic chemical releases. At face value this is a step in the right direction. However, the EPA is still planning a drastic rollback to the inventory requirements of the TRI to ease the “regulatory burden” on polluting companies.
The current plan is to increase the threshold for reporting ten-fold—a move which will free one-third of the 23,000 facilities from any reporting requirements whatsoever. These industries include mining, utility, oil, rubber, plastics, printing, textile, leather tanning and semiconductor operations.
EPA Drops Plan to Ease Pollution Rules, Washington Post (30 Nov 06)
EPA Backtracks on Easing Toxin Rule, Washington Post (30 Nov 06)
Stolen Inventory : 2006 EWG report on the proposed TRI rollback
Preschool puberty from cometics, drugs
Today the New York Times reports some disturbing news about certain drugs and cosmetics causing preschoolers to go into puberty. In one case, a girl and her brother--whose father had been using a testosterone skin cream--started growing pubic hair just from skin contact with their father. Her brother also developed some aggressive behavior problems. The article cites some 1998 cases of early breast development in young girls brought on by a shampoo which contained estrogen and placental extract.
What does the FDA have to say about this? The FDA spokesperson told the Times that FDA was “aware of some reports describing premature sexual development” and that “there is no reason for consumers to be concerned.” And at this time “placental materials are neither prohibited by cosmetic regulations nor restricted” by the FDA.
Robert Cooper, chief of endocrinology at the reproductive toxicology division of the EPA suggests that conflicts of interest on advisory panels have hampered the development of adequate testing measures for these endocrine disruptors in consumer products:
In 1996, Congress directed the E.P.A. to develop a comprehensive screening program for possible endocrine disruptors within three years. Dr. Cooper says no such program has begun operation, a failure he attributed largely to stonewalling by chemical industry representatives who serve on an advisory committee for the program. Now the proposed rollout is December 2007, but Dr. Cooper said, “They may be dreaming.” Critics cite the program’s high potential costs and lack of reliable laboratory tests.
Full article
EPA ignoring its own experts on air quality standards
NPR reports uncovering internal documents suggesting that EPA administrator Steven Johnson ignored the advice of EPA scientific advisors when he rejected tougher air quality standards that could save thousands of lives each year.
NYU Med school professor Morton Lippmann, one of the 12 experts on the panel ignored by Johnson, had this to say about the effects of poor air quality: "You can mention a few other things that affect public health more, like cigarette smoking, but you have to get to an issue like that before you get something with more impact than the effect of fine particles on mortality." Lippmann has gone on record in a letter to Stephen Johnson stating that the weak standard "does not provide an adequate margin of safety requisite to protect the public health." Lippmann also feels the EPA has gone out of its way to withhold strong scientific evidence from the public in this matter. [ NPR ]
John Kerry: "this administration couldn't care less"
about minority and low-income neighborhoods
The [EPA] is not conducting required reviews to ensure that low-income and minority neighborhoods get the same environmental protection as other communities.The report by the EPA's inspector general, made public Tuesday, says senior EPA officials have not required regional offices and department heads to conduct environmental justice reviews despite a requirement for such reviews dating back to 1994.
A survey by the IG's office found 60 percent of the respondents - regional offices and program departments - had not conducted the reviews and 87 percent said they had not been asked to do them, according to the report.
[snip]
Kerry, D-Mass., said the report shows "this administration couldn't care less" about minority and low-income neighborhoods that often are the site of industrial zones, refineries and power plants.
[ Via AP : Link ]
Scientific integrity cartoon contest
Bush slashes eco-whistleblower protection laws
From a press release issued on Labor Day by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER):
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bush administration has declared itself immune from whistleblower protections for federal workers under the Clean Water Act, according to legal documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result of an opinion issued by a unit within the Office of the Attorney General, federal workers will have little protection from official retaliation for reporting water pollution enforcement breakdowns, manipulations of science or cleanup failures.
Continue reading "Bush slashes eco-whistleblower protection laws" »
California's rocket fuel standard four times tougher than feds'
California has proposed an enforceable limit of 6 parts per billion for perchlorate (rocket fuel) in drinking water--four times more stringent than the EPA's waste-site cleanup standard of 24 parts per billion. Currently, Massachusetts is the only state with a mandatory limit--2 ppb for perchlorate in drinking water. Enviro groups in California have been pushing for an even more stringent limit of 1 or 2 parts per billion, but have met resistance from the Pentagon and its contractors. Perchlorate contamination is not limited solely to drinking water. The chemical, which disrupts brain development in fetuses and young children, is widely prevalent in milk, cheese, lettuce and other crops tainted by irrigation water, as well as human breast milk and baby formula. Most perchlorate contamination comes from military bases and aerospace plants. [LA Times] [AP]
EPA is Behind Schedule in Curbing Childhood Lead Poisoning
[snip]
The Clinton administration in 2000 set a goal to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by 2010. To achieve that, in the next two years the EPA would have to reduce the estimated cases to 90,000 from about 400,000 cases in 1999-2000. [Kansas City Star]
"Ok, Ok--So I Hid My Industry Ties,
But Everybody's Doin' It!"
 |
Recently there's been plenty of debate within scientific, regulatory, and public health circles about the role of industry funding in scientific research and on government advisory panels--with robust arguments from each side. But almost everyone--including the FDA, the American Chemistry Council, and the Society of Toxicology agree on one point: full disclosure of professional associations and financial interests is the bare minimum necessary to safeguard the public interest. Well, according to The Scientist magazine, there's one "expert" out there who won't be swayed by prevailing morality. That man is Dennis Paustenbach, CEO of the risk assessment firm ChemRisk, and repeat-participant on EPA and NAS advisory panels. On his secretive role ghostwriting a landmark study which sidelined efforts to raise cromium-6 drinking water standards The Scientist reports:
Paustenbach, however, told The Scientist that ChemRisk scientists are not the only contributors who have been less than forthcoming. "If the Journal [of Occupational and Environmental Medicine] was using those [full-disclosure] rules over the last 10 years, I think they'd find dozens of papers to have inadequacies in disclosure."
Dr. Paustenbach must've had his fingers crossed when he pledged to uphold these tenets in the Society of Toxicology Code of Ethics:
Conduct their work with objectivity and themselves with integrity. Being honest and truthful in reporting and communicating their research.Abstain from professional judgments influenced by undisclosed conflict of interest, disclose any material conflicts of interest and avoid situations that imply a conflict of interest.
Practice high standards of environmental and occupational health and safety for the benefit of themselves, their co-workers, their families, their communities, and society as a whole.
Past news coverage of ChemRisk misconduct.
Government Study Confirms Dangers of Dioxin
Today the National Academy of Sciences released a report confirming that dioxin, the byproduct of several industries, is a potent carcinogen.
In a 2005 investigation, Environmental Working Group (EWG) researchers tested the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn babies, and found that all of them had dioxins in their blood from the moment they were born.
From the Onion:
EPA Didn't Know Anybody Was Still Drinking Water
WASHINGTON, DC- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson apologized during a press conference Tuesday for what critics called "flagrant oversight and neglect" in monitoring ground- and tap-water quality across the United States, claiming that his department was unaware that citizens were still consuming it. "I can honestly say we had no idea that anyone used faucet water anymore," Johnson said. "Bottled water, sure—I have some here on the lectern. But if there really are people out there still drinking tap water, all I can say is you're better off not knowing what's in there." Johnson added that official EPA policy is that Americans should stick to sports drinks.
MTBE: Joke's on Big Oil
EWG's MTBE work is here.
New York Battles EPA for Household Chemical Records
Volatile organic compounds, the smog-forming components found in household products like paint and varnish, may also contribute to increased asthma rates. Last year EWG released "Smoggy Schools," a report on what air pollution costs California measured in missed school days and children's medical expenses.
DuPont Employee Union Maps Company’s Toxic Legacy
EPA’s Folk Theory of Clean Air Threatens Rural America
EPA Goes Cuckoo for Cocoa Powder Puffs
This is a great, snarky article worth a read for anyone frustrated by the Bush administration's policy of "proportion and selective enforcement" for environmental regulations.