Login
Exclusive: EPA Scientists Say They Are Being Pushed to Downplay Potential Risks of Household Products
Inside the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, scientists say they’re under pressure to alter safety reviews of chemicals commonly found in consumer products like household cleaners and cosmetics to make risks to human health and the environment disappear on paper.
Multiple current and former career employees at the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention recounted being pushed by supervisors to downplay the potential risk of chemicals that are already used in products on shelves.
With President Donald Trump’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, scientists are also being told to stop considering the impact a chemical may have on specific racial groups, according to the employees, who spoke on the condition that they remain anonymous for fear of retribution.
While the EPA told CNN it wants testing that reflects real-world exposure, some veteran employees say they have been pressed to make chemicals appear safe by coming up with test parameters that aren’t realistic.
Federal Review on Weedkiller Sparks Backlash From Environment and Health Groups
Advocates for environmental and human health protections are seeking to challenge a decision by US regulators that they say will allow the continued use of atrazine, a commonly used herbicide linked to cancer and other health problems. The April opinion by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) concluded that atrazine does not pose an extinction risk to threatened or endangered wildlife. The opinion has been met with outrage from environmental and health advocates, who say there is clear scientific evidence that atrazine poses risks to both wildlife and humans.
The decision marks the latest step in a years-long battle over the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ongoing registration review of atrazine. The EPA was legally required to consult with the FWS to ensure that reauthorizing atrazine would not violate the Endangered Species Act. The FWS opinion will now be used by the EPA to determine if atrazine meets federal safety standards for continued registration.
“Most people agree that we need to make sure that we as a country aren’t poisoning ourselves, and protecting future generations from harm,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we have a chemical that is linked to so many different harms, the goal really should be to eliminate that exposure source.”
Mass. Bills Would Ban PFAS in Food Packaging, Kids’ Toys and More
State lawmakers are once again considering sweeping bills to ban toxic PFAS chemicals in food packaging, cookware, firefighting foam and other products. More than a dozen states have outlawed PFAS chemicals in certain consumer products. But some trade groups worry that a wide-ranging Massachusetts law could be expensive for small businesses and difficult to implement.
Because PFAS molecules don’t break down easily in the environment or the body, they’re often called “forever chemicals.” Research has linked them to health problems including increased risk of some cancers. “The evidence is overwhelming that these are harmful chemicals,” said Laurel Schaider, a senior scientist at the Silent Spring Institute who has studied the health effects of PFAS for more than a decade. ”The bill goes a long way to addressing existing PFAS contamination and to turning off the tap on future contamination.”
The Senate and House versions of the bill are similar, and would ban PFAS in a range of products, including children’s toys, car seats, carpets, cookware, makeup and menstrual products. Both bills would also require the Department of Public Health to investigate whether to restrict PFAS in additional products.
New Study Finds Something Horrible Contaminating Half of California’s Water
There’s something monstrous lurking in the waterways of California, and it isn’t the Sacramento Mothman. According to a new analysis by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, around half of California’s water is contaminated by PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” for their incredibly long lifespan. The EWG report was compiled using state and federal data, finding that up to 50 percent of surface water samples, and anywhere from 45 to 55 percent of sedimentary samples, are contaminated with PFAS from pesticides.
“These findings suggest pesticides could also be exposing millions of Californians to PFAS through water and soil,” the EWG researchers write. “What’s worse, exposure may persist for generations, since PFAS never fully break down in the environment.”
Though PFAS is a broad category by necessity, the various substances encompassing it have been linked to altered immune and liver functions, heightened risks for cancer, and pregnancy complications, among other health issues. Where agricultural toxicants are concerned, at least 60 percent of the active ingredients approved for use as pesticides can be categorized as PFAS.
Illinois Fails to Pass Landmark Act Requiring ‘Responsible’ Data Center Energy and Water Use
Illinois lawmakers failed to pass landmark legislation that would have required data centers in the state to publicly disclose their water usage and adhere to a strict set of energy and environmental standards. Supported by climate watchdogs and legal experts as a precedent-setting policy for data center transparency around the country, the POWER Act did not advance to a General Assembly vote before the state’s legislative session ended on May 31.
“The threat to our electric grid, our wallets, and our environment is only growing,” says Kari Ross, the Midwest energy affordability advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a statement. “It is deeply frustrating that the General Assembly did not cross the finish line this year while deciding to continue to provide millions of taxpayer dollars to data centers in incentives against the Governor’s vision.”
Illinois is home to 115 operating data centers, with at least 67 new campuses planned. These include several hyperscale projects proposed for the northern half of the state in communities where groundwater aquifers are running imminently dry: a 1.6 gigawatt campus in Grayslake, a 1.8 gigawatt campus in Joliet, and another 1.8 gigawatt campus in Yorkville.
Microplastics in the Lungs May Make Pollen Allergies Worse
Tiny flecks of plastic keep turning up inside the human body — in blood, lung tissue, and places nobody expected them to reach. The usual worry has been about buildup: whether the particles lodge somewhere and stay put. A new study in mice suggests something stranger. The plastic may not just be sitting in lung tissue. It might be changing how the body reacts to the things that already make people sneeze and itch.
Researchers keep finding microplastics, the tiny plastic fragments shed by bottles and synthetic clothing, in places they were never meant to be. They have shown up in human blood and deep within lung tissue. What those particles do once inside the body has been harder to pin down, especially their effect on the immune system.
Allergy researcher Michelle M. Epstein and her team at the Medical University of Vienna set out to test that in mice. Their target was PET — short for polyethylene terephthalate — the lightweight plastic used in drink bottles and polyester clothing. It is one of the most common plastics on Earth and one of the types most often found inside the human body.
