By The Defender Staff

EPA, Pesticides, and Children’s Health

The Regulatory Review reported:

Over sixty years ago, environmental activist Rachel Carson called pesticides used on food crops “elixirs of death.” Experts have linked exposure to pesticides to severe health conditions, including cancer and diabetes, and have warned that children are especially vulnerable to these consequences.

The U.S. Congress sought to protect children from pesticides by enacting the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA), which directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit children’s exposure to pesticides found in foods. In a recent article, Valerie Watnick and Sarah Beaumont argue that EPA has failed to safeguard children’s health in enforcing the FQPA. Watnick and Beaumont propose reforms that the agency can adopt to protect children.

Under the FQPA, EPA must establish a “tolerance,” or a maximum permissible level of pesticide residue on a food, before authorizing a manufacturer to register a pesticide for food use. EPA must set the tolerance to establish “reasonable certainty” that consumers will not be harmed. EPA must also perform periodic review of past tolerance decisions and update tolerance levels to align with current research.

If EPA determines that data about the child health risks of exposure to a particular pesticide are incomplete or indicate potential harm to youth, the FQPA requires the agency to apply a tenfold child safety factor, decreasing allowable pesticide residues by 90 percent. EPA, however, does not need to introduce the tenfold factor if the agency has reliable evidence that a smaller margin will keep children safe.

EPA Delivers Mixed Finding on Carcinogenic Rubber Ingredient

Chemistry World reported:

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that the rubber ingredient 1,3-butadiene, which it classifies as a human carcinogen, might present health risks to industrial workers but poses no threat to the environment or those living near facilities where the chemical is used. The conclusions, announced on New Years Eve, contrast with regulations put in place during Joe Biden’s presidency that required companies to monitor levels of the chemical in the air outside their plants.

Based on what the EPA describes as a ‘robust review’ of 1,3-butadiene that incorporated the results of approximately 10,000 studies from various sources, the agency said it has found ‘potential unreasonable health risks’ to workers who may inhale the chemical in 11 specific industrial settings at factories that make or use 1,3-butadiene to create rubber, plastics, and other products.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer also categorises the chemical as ‘carcinogenic to humans’. The EPA said its findings indicate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in these workplace environments will help mitigate health dangers associated with 1,3- butadiene.

However, the agency also concluded that there is no evidence the chemical poses unreasonable risks to the environment or the general population, including people living near facilities that use the chemical. The latter conclusion contrasts with the EPA’s previous clean air standards for chemical plants that were finalised in April 2024.

Combatting Agricultural Pollution: Michigan’s New Manure Management Rules

The New Lede reported:

Because lawmakers and regulators embrace the principle that agriculture’s primary objective is to feed people, farming is a sacrosanct industrial sector in the United States.

Understand that every industry in the U.S. except for agriculture is required to limit water pollution.

But ever since 1972, when Congress exempted farming from most of the water-cleansing requirements of the Clean Water Act, farms have been perfectly free to discharge into the environment some of the most dangerous chemical compounds known to man. Billions of pounds of toxic pesticides were sprayed on crops and orchards. Hundreds of millions of tons of bacteria-fouled and nutrient-saturated manure were spread on fields and pastures.

The primary defense offered by government and allies in America’s agricultural universities: farmers can voluntarily take steps to cultivate cover crops and plant grassy absorbent buffer strips along ditches and streams. It is guidance that most farmers disregard. The terrible consequence is that farm chemicals are fouling drinking water wells and streams in every important farm state. Nitrates from chemical fertilizer and manure are now the nation’s most widespread water pollutant, and one of its most hazardous.

Advocacy Group Sues EPA to Reduce ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Virginia Waters

Bay Journal reported:

The nonprofit organization Wild Virginia filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Dec. 22 claiming the agency failed to identify Virginia waters polluted with “forever chemicals,” which would have triggered pollution reduction plans. Wild Virginia expects a response from the EPA in January.

Forever chemicals, officially known as per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, are thousands of synthetic chemicals that make products resistant to water and heat. Studies have shown long-term exposure to even low levels of some of the chemicals can cause serious health problems. In 2022, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality detected at least one forever chemical at 61% of the 224 sites it sampled.

Last May, the state health department issued an advisory for PFAS contamination in fish in the Chickahominy River. However, the state department did not list the river as “impaired” in its water quality report to the EPA. David Sligh, Wild Virginia’s conservation director, said in a statement that the EPA shouldn’t have approved the state report and instead developed its own list of impaired waters.

Inside the Ultra-Processed Home: The Everyday Items Making It More Toxic Than You Think

The Independent reported:

Every new year, there’s an influx of advice on how to detoxify yourself and your body. But this year, I’m more inclined to turn my attention to the toxins in my flat. Like many, I’ve become more aware of “forever chemicals” — a class of manmade chemical toxins known as PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — that have been used for decades in everything from non-stick cookware to waterproof clothing.

PFAS are so common in Britain that they are now present in nearly everyone’s blood, to varying degrees. The problem is that new studies show they’re linked to serious health conditions, such as cancer, infertility and cardiovascular mortality. And they’re not the only toxins lurking in our homes either.

BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical used in hard plastics and epoxy resins, commonly used in food packaging and drink cans. It is now classified as a hazardous chemical in the EU due to its ability to damage fertility and cause eye damage, skin reactions and respiratory irritation. While many products claim to be BPA-free, this only means they are free of Bisphenol A; they still may contain other bisphenols.

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IPAK-EDU is grateful to The Defender as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More