For decades, a small EPA program called IRIS conducted the painstaking work of assessing the toxicity of chemicals. Now the Trump administration is suggesting that their assessments can’t be trusted, opening the door to weakening hundreds of efforts to protect people from harmful chemicals.
The second-guessing could extend even to long-settled standards, environmental scientists said, such as how much arsenic is allowed in drinking water and how much lead is acceptable in paint and soil.
In an internal memo obtained by ProPublica, EPA deputy administrator David Fotouhi — who used to represent companies accused of causing toxic pollution — sharply criticized IRIS and directed EPA offices that have used the chemical assessments the program has produced to review them. He also cautioned against using them in future regulations.
“Anybody who wants to ignore a regulation, permit or enforcement action can now just point to this memo,” an environmental lawyer said. “It’s a huge setback for the process of protecting people from chemicals.”
The EPA press office said in a statement that Fotouhi has complied with all applicable ethics obligations and said his directive would not put people at risk or allow anyone to ignore environmental regulations. Any revisions to permits or regulatory standards must go through a process that includes public participation, the office noted.
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For decades, a small EPA program called IRIS conducted the painstaking work of assessing the toxicity of chemicals. Now the Trump administration is suggesting that their assessments can’t be trusted, opening the door to weakening hundreds of efforts to protect people from harmful chemicals.
The second-guessing could extend even to long-settled standards, environmental scientists said, such as how much arsenic is allowed in drinking water and how much lead is acceptable in paint and soil.
In an internal memo obtained by ProPublica, EPA deputy administrator David Fotouhi — who used to represent companies accused of causing toxic pollution — sharply criticized IRIS and directed EPA offices that have used the chemical assessments the program has produced to review them. He also cautioned against using them in future regulations.
“Anybody who wants to ignore a regulation, permit or enforcement action can now just point to this memo,” an environmental lawyer said. “It’s a huge setback for the process of protecting people from chemicals.”
**Here’s the full story:** [https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-epa-directive-chemical-assessments](https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-epa-directive-chemical-assessments)
The EPA press office said in a statement that Fotouhi has complied with all applicable ethics obligations and said his directive would not put people at risk or allow anyone to ignore environmental regulations. Any revisions to permits or regulatory standards must go through a process that includes public participation, the office noted.