According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the organization that’s representing the whistleblowers, the statements may be a violation of the law. “I hope that the inspector general evaluates whether these false statement are violations of the criminal statute,” said Kyla Bennett, director of science policy for PEER. “EPA is not allowed to make knowingly materially false statements.”
To further complicate the assessment, a quick check of the pH of the chemical done by Gallagher revealed that it was neither acidic nor basic enough to cause skin damage. In other words, the chemical wasn’t corrosive after all. Gallagher repeatedly raised the issue with her colleagues after she made the discovery, but the assessment was not corrected. It was finalized on May 29, 2020.
