The EPA Will Likely Gut Team That Studies Health Risks From Chemicals
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Summary
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to split its main scientific research division into smaller sections.
The Office of Research and Development employs 1,500 scientists, who have been told to reapply for around 500 roles in other areas of the EPA.
The move is likely to break up a crucial but tiny EPA program called the Integrated Risk Information System Program (IRIS), responsible for researching the risks of chemicals and aiding regulatory decisions.
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, a former deputy assistant administrator at the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, says the move will see science evaluation done in a centralised IRIS unit become more vulnerable to external pressures, as those evaluating risks will now be doing so with a specific regulatory end in mind.
The chemical industry has long opposed IRIS, which it says threatens to restrict the use of crucial chemicals.
The head of the American Chemistry Council said recently that the IRIS program should be disbanded.
Opposition to the program has previously come from the Trump administration and Congress.
