http://www.peer.org/press/534.html
November 9,
2004
EPA Stalls
Infant Pesticide Dosing Study
Bush Administration Poised to Legalize Human Testing
By:
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suspending a controversial
study to measure pesticide exposure in babies, from birth to age
3, who have pesticides sprayed in their homes. Citing “recent
news articles [that] have mischaracterized the study,” EPA
announced a further review that “will ultimately enable
us to be more protective of children’s health,” according
to memos released today by Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility (PEER).
In a memo
dated Monday, November 8th and distributed to EPA employees, William
McFarland, the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science,
wrote that EPA would subject the study to further review that
“may refine the study design” but that the study would
proceed in the spring.
EPA is paying
families in Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County) who “spray
or have pesticides sprayed inside your home routinely” to
study the resulting chemical exposure in their infant children.
The study, called the Children’s Environmental Exposure
Research Study or CHEERS, pays participating families $970 for
participating throughout the entire two-year study period. Families
who complete the study also get to keep the camcorder they are
provided to record their babies’ behavior. In addition,
families are given bibs, t-shirts and other promotional items.
The families are recruited from public clinics and hospitals.
EPA selects infants based upon pesticide residue levels detected
in “a surface wipe sample in the primary room where the
child spends time.”
“EPA
seems to think that the problem with this study is one of public
relations, not morality,” stated PEER Executive Director
Jeff Ruch, whose organization is working with agency scientists
who are questioning the ethics of the study. “Regardless
of the number of reviews, paying poor parents to dose their babies
with commercial poisons to measure their exposure is just plain
wrong.”
Conducted
with funding from the American Chemistry Council, which represents
135 companies including pesticide manufacturers, the study looks
at 60 infants and toddlers. EPA claims that the study had already
undergone independent reviews and complies with human subject
safety standards, but agency scientists note that –·
Exposure of infants to potentially harmful chemicals without some
countervailing medical benefit can never meet the ethical standards
that EPA claims to meet;
· The
reviews cited by EPA include that of Battelle, which is the primary
contractor for the study and would hardly be independent. These
reviews also have not been posted by EPA so that the scope of
the reviews is unknown; and
· In
earlier press releases, EPA claimed review and participation by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but in its
latest statements, CDC is no longer referenced.
Pesticide
companies want data on actual infant exposure levels to persuade
EPA to drop its rules requiring that pesticide exposures to small
children must be ten times more protective than adults. According
to published reports, the Bush Administration will soon announce
their repeal of the Clinton-era rules against testing pesticides
on humans. EPA wants to use CHEERS as the opening for a new policy
on accepting testing on humans to determine pesticide toxicity.
EPA scientists
are also expressing concern that corporations are now influencing
EPA research through direct financial contributions. The American
Chemistry Council (ACC), which contributed $2 million to CHEERS,
successfully lobbied to include exposure to flame retardants and
other household chemicals in the study. EPA now has 80 similar
research agreements with industry, including three with ACC.
“EPA
Administrator Mike Leavitt is claiming an election mandate for
the administration’s environmental policies, but I don’t
remember President Bush campaigning for human experimentation
on toddlers,” Ruch added.
Read the memo
announcing postponement of CHEERS.