Testing pesticides on babies
On the plus side, parents would have received $970 and a free video camera. On the negative side their child could die or suffer irreversible adverse medical problems.
Never fear–it was a turned aside. Reuters article in extended entry.
E.P.A. Scraps Controversial Pesticide Testing Program
By REUTERS
Published: April 8, 2005
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Bush’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday canceled a controversial program to test the effects of bug spray and other pesticides on infants after two Senate Democrats threatened to block his confirmation.
Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Bill Nelson of Florida said they would place a “hold” on the White House’s nomination of acting EPA administrator Stephen Johnson unless he canceled the $9 million program.
The Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study would have paid families $970 to videotape how spraying insecticides in their homes affected infants over two years.
“I am very pleased that Mr. Johnson has recognized the gross error in judgment the EPA made when they concocted this immoral program to test pesticides on children,” Boxer said in a statement.
“EPA came to its senses,” Nelson said, after Johnson told him that the program targeting poor minority families in Florida was “dead.”
Boxer and Nelson will lift their holds, their staff said.
Questioned by Boxer at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on Wednesday, Johnson said he suspended the program last year before it began pending an independent review. But he did not commit to Boxer’s request to cancel it.
EPA finally capitulated to senators’ request on Friday.
“I have concluded that the study cannot go forward, regardless of the outcome of the independent review,” Johnson, a career EPA scientist, said in a statement.
The committee will vote on Johnson’s confirmation on April 13.
The EPA had defended its children’s environmental exposure study as important to help the agency understand how kids are exposed to pesticides that are common in American homes.
The research project would have examined the homes of selected children in Duval County, Florida, and given participants a camcorder, children’s clothes and a $970 payment.
“Information from the study was intended to help EPA better protect children,” Johnson said on Friday. “EPA will continue to pursue the goal of protecting childrens’ health.”
The research, partially funded by the American Chemistry Council, did not require the participants to buy or use any additional pesticides than what was already in their homes.
The EPA will return the $2.1 million in partial funds to the lobbying group, Nelson said.
April 18th, 2005 at 11:46 am
Has anyone noticed that as soon as people get a government job, that they immediately take the “never should be done” list and the “need to do list” and switch them so that they do what never should be done and avoid doing the important stuff.
The people that wanted to do that should be forced to drink a glass of roach spray, then we could say it was a study, we could get millions of dollars in a grant, and tell everyone it was to protect people.