Online
at EWG's site:
http://www.ewg.org/news/story.php?id=3154
November 8,
2004. EPA's William Farland memo on the CHEERS study.
November 8,
2004
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Children’s
Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS)
FROM: William
Farland, Ph.D. Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science
Office of Research and Development
TO: EPA Employees
The Children’s
Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS) is designed to
fill critical data gaps in our understanding of children’s
exposure to pesticides and chemicals that can be found in typical
household environments. The EPA seeks information to improve both
risk assessment and risk management practices that will ultimately
enable us to be more protective of children’s health.
Recent news
articles have mischaracterized the study and EPA is actively working
to assure all interested parties that the study is designed to
meet rigorous ethical and scientific standards.
Toward
this end, EPA is taking the extraordinary step—because
protecting the health and well being of children is of paramount
importance*—of sending the study design
for another external, independent review by an expert panel, made
up of members of the Science Advisory Board, the Science Advisory
Panel and the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee,
prior to implementation. It is anticipated that this review
will be completed, and that a report will be forwarded to the
Administrator, in the spring of 2005. Based on this review, the
Agency may refine the study design.
To date, the
study design for CHEERS has already been externally reviewed for
scientific merit and ethical protections. Specifically, four Institutional
Review Boards (IRBs) for the Protection of Human Subjects have
reviewed and approved the study to ensure that it complies with
all ethical standards. These boards include outside, independent
experts in the fields of medicine, ethics and community advocacy.
This study was judged according to procedures codified in 45 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) 46 that mandates special requirements
for children as research participants. The IRBs and the dates
they approved the study are: Battelle Memorial Institute (August,
2004), University of North Carolina (September, 2004), Florida
Department of Health (pending approval), and University of Florida
(May, 2004).
If you would
like details about CHEERS, click here for the CHEERS Fact Sheet
or go to http://www.epa.gov/cheers/basic.htm
--- End ---
Note
from FAN:
Dr.
Farland's statement that the protection and well being of children
is of "paramount importance" at EPA is at variance with
EPA's approval of DOW's Sulfuryl fluoride as the replacement alternative
for Methyl bromide. On January 23, 2004, EPA approved a FINAL
RULE that established the highest tolerances for residues
of inorganic fluoride "in or on food" in US history.
In so doing, EPA set a precedent
by allowing a
dosage of fluoride for infants that is five times higher than
for adults. See FAN's objections submitted to EPA at http://www.fluoridealert.org/epa-sf.htm
- EC
