FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Contact:
Kyla Bennett (508) 230-9933 kbennett@peer.org
Tim Whitehouse (240) 247-0299 twhitehouse@peer.org

EPA Scientists Punished for Identifying Chemical Risks

IG Report Identifies Problems In Approval of New Chemicals

Washington, DC —The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency retaliated against three scientists because they protested watering down risk assessments for new chemicals being approved for commercial release, according to a series of reports by EPA’s Office of Inspector General. The scientists, all clients of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), had their performance ratings improperly downgraded, had awards withheld, were passed over for new positions within the Agency, and were moved from the agency’s New Chemicals program despite an admitted critical shortage of scientists.

The risk assessments that were altered over the objections of scientists addressed issues such as major birth defect hazards, heightened fetal toxicity, and carcinogenicity. The IG reports characterize a work environment where quickly approving chemicals for use was the primary task of EPA scientists.

Staff and managers describe the pressure to meet deadlines to approve new chemicals as “ridiculous” and described the pressure to speed up chemical reviews as “intense,” and that management was “pushing us like animals on a farm.” The IG reports disclosed that the whistleblowers were called “piranhas,” “pot stirrers,” accused of “trying to indict every chemical,” and accused of holding cases “hostage” by delays that managers conceded were “legitimate” concerns. The retaliations identified by the IG in these reports occurred during the Trump administration.

“The Inspector General’s findings point to ongoing scientific integrity problems in EPA that directly endanger public health,” stated PEER Science Policy Director Kyla Bennett, a scientist and attorney formerly with EPA who shepherded the series of complaints to the IG which led to today’s reports. “Many of the problems the IG identified in EPA’s chemicals division under the Trump administration continue unabated today, despite the Biden Administration’s tweaks to the program.”

The IG reports of whistleblower retaliation have been submitted to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Congress under a statute requiring that he suspend identified retaliating managers for at least three days and to fire repeat offenders. Under the statute this is a “nondelegable” duty. The IG reports redacted the names of the offending managers; one of these managers received “Manager of the Year” award just two months after retaliating against the scientists.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) provides a 90-day review process for EPA to assess the safety of new chemicals, although EPA can request additional time. Under TSCA, EPA must evaluate potential risks from new and existing chemicals and address any unreasonable risks chemicals may have on human health and the environment. These actions can include a ban on production or mitigation measures, such as requiring that workers use personal protective equipment when handling these chemicals.

That 2016 law has not worked as intended, however. In a report last year, the IG found that after 3,830 new chemical reviews, not a single chemical had been barred from entering the marketplace. The IG concluded that:

“EPA does not have reasonable assurance that the new chemicals review process is properly considering and addressing risks to public health and the environment.”

“These reports should set off alarm bells about the efficacy of the laws and policies designed to protect the work of scientists within EPA,” added PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse, a former senior EPA enforcement attorney, noting that the IG reports took nearly four years to complete. “Even today, EPA continues to approve new chemicals without really understanding the risks these chemicals pose to human health and the environment.”

The IG will release another series of reports on the substance of the whistleblower complaints in the near future.

The affected EPA scientists are Drs. Sarah Gallagher, Martin Phillips, and William Irwin who hold doctorates in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, respectively.

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Read the IG reports for: