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The Trump administration is proposing to almost double what’s considered safe exposure levels to formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical found in many consumer products, as part of a broader overhaul of its approach to regulating carcinogens.
The Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration had, for the first time, prepared to regulate formaldehyde based on a fundamental assumption: that there is virtually no safe level of exposure for such carcinogens. But in a win for the chemicals industry, the E.P.A. under President Trump assumes a safe threshold exists for formaldehyde.
Regulating formaldehyde has been highly contentious because it is used in products as varied as furniture and clothes, so many different industries would be affected by any limits. The proposed new approach, long called for by industry groups, is moving forward under the direction of two E.P.A. officials who were formerly senior directors at a leading chemicals industry group.
The change would almost double the amount of formaldehyde that is considered safe to inhale. In addition to cancer, formaldehyde is linked to severe respiratory problems. “Within the scientific community, the idea that there is a safe threshold for carcinogenic exposures is not widely accepted,” said David Michaels, a professor in epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.
“But the idea of a threshold is a holy grail for industry, because if you can claim a threshold, then you don’t need to protect people at levels below that threshold,” said Dr. Michaels, who headed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under President Barack Obama. “It’s a signal of the approach that E.P.A. will take and has consequences for other carcinogens,” he said. “It’s antithetical to the rhetoric of ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ This will do the opposite.”
The move was the latest from an agency that is working to repeal dozens of the nation’s most significant environmental and health regulations, like limits on pollution from tailpipes and smokestacks. Much of that is happening under the direction of former industry officials who now hold top positions in the Trump administration. The E.P.A. office that regulates chemical safety is currently led by Nancy Beck, a former senior director at the American Chemistry Council. Her deputy, Lynn Dekleva, is also a former senior director at the same organization.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved.
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Comments
'It’s antithetical to the rhetoric of ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ This will do the opposite.'”
"The move was the latest from an agency that is working to repeal dozens of the nation’s most
significant environmental and health regulations, like limits on pollution from tailpipes and smokestacks.
Much of that is happening under the direction of former industry officials who now hold top positions
in the Trump administration."
The rapacious Trump administration disregards health and safety concerns which are based on
scientific evidence when there is money to be made. It's a very unfortunate situation for the country.