EPA toxicity risk assessments in crisis
viewed Toxicity Values, in only 1 year, added a former EPA scientist, who spoke to ES&T on condition of anonymity. partment of Defense (DOD) and The U.S. EPA’s recently announced Lynn Goldman, who is an epithe U.S. Department of Energy, to revisions to the way toxic chemidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Unibe involved in each assessment at cals are assessed will institutionalversity and is a former assistant almost every step. For example, ize the political interference and the White House Office of Mansecrecy that have already damaged administrator of EPA’s Office of Preagement and Budget (OMB), which the credibility of the agency, acvention, Pesticides, and Toxic Suboversees the federal regulatory cording to experts testifying at a stances, noted that EPA’s refusal process, is provided with seven ophearing before the U.S. Senate. The to approve chemical assessments portunities, up from two, to have hearing was convened in April to has affected individuals already. In its say on IRIS assessments. discuss a report from the U.S. Gov2004, EPA scientists had nearly comernment Accountability Ofpleted a 7-year assessment of fice (GAO), a congressional formaldehyde, a compound watchdog, on EPA’s efforts to found in particleboard that refashion the Integrated Risk was declared a known huInformation System (IRIS). man carcinogen in 2006 by GAO noted that EPA’s changthe International Agency for es would make the popular Research on Cancer. IRIS database obsolete and But the IRIS process was recommended that Congress postponed at the behest of require the agency to withthe formaldehyde industry, draw the modifications. and the Chemical Industry The IRIS database conInstitute of Toxicology (CIIT), tains EPA’s scientific posian industry-sponsored retion about the human-health Withholding information about the hazards of formalsearch organization, pubimpacts of more than 540 lished its own assessment on dehyde in particleboard may have led to the illnesses of flood victims who moved into trailers after Hurricane chemicals, including arsethe health effects of formKatrina in 2005. nic and PCBs. It was created aldehyde, Goldman said. In in 1985 and includes toxic2004, EPA incorporated the “We found that the IRIS dataity assessments on each chemical; CIIT assessment into its rule about base is at serious risk of becoming these assessments form the basis hazardous air pollution caused by obsolete because EPA has not been for EPA regulations. EPA’s work on fiberboard, without the concurable to routinely complete timely IRIS is so well respected that the rence of EPA scientists or EPA’s Scicredible assessments or decrease assessments are incorporated into ence Advisory Board. its backlog of 70 ongoing assessstate programs in the U.S. as well In the wake of Hurricanes Kaments,” said John Stephenson, dias into the policies of other countrina and Rita in 2005, the governrector of natural resources and tries, the agency notes. ment provided 120,000 trailers to environment at GAO, in testimony Without obtaining public input, those who lost their homes. Those before the Senate Committee on on April 10, EPA announced its retrailers made of particleboard have Environment and Public Works. visions to the IRIS process, which been found to contain significant GAO also noted that the upgradbecame effective immediately. quantities of formaldehyde, which ed OMB review will hinder EPA’s The modifications were designed may have made the occupants ill. independence, Stephenson said. to make IRIS more transparent, EPA still has not completed the OMB, without giving any reasons, objective, and streamlined, the formaldehyde assessment. once ordered EPA to terminate five agency wrote. The changes were Agencies, such as DOD, are reIRIS assessments, he added. spearheaded by EPA’s assistant sponsible for meeting EPA stanEPA already has slowed down administrator for the Office of Redards when carrying out waste the pace of its IRIS assessments, search and Development (ORD), cleanups. Because of this, these EPA staffers note. The agency sent George Gray, who, shortly after beagencies should not have a veto 32 draft assessments for external ing sworn in as ORD’s leader, said over EPA’s scientific conclusions, review during the past 2 years but he would institute IRIS improveGoldman said. finalized only 4 of them, according ments. “An IRIS assessment is not Committee Chair Sen. Barbara to GAO. Now it takes an average pure science, it’s a mix of science Boxer (D-CA) told EPA that if there of 7 years to conduct an IRIS asand science policy,” Gray said. is no action to improve the prosessment, but EPA can complete a But critics say that EPA inserted gram, Congress will step in and virtually identical internal review, formal policies to allow other fedstart banning chemicals. known as the Provisional Peer Reeral agencies, such as the U.S. De—JANET PELLEY FEDER AL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Interview
4620 ■ Environmental Science & Technology / July 1, 2008
