Science Speaks and EPA Listens . . . Sometimes

Today, the EPA announced it was following the advice of its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to set standards for lead in air that are 10 times stricter than we have today in order to protect children’s cognitive development. This follows on the heels of the decision by EPA in July to recommend the ban of carbofuran, one of the most toxic pesticides still in use.

Since EPA is being receptive to science click here to send EPA Administrator Johnson a letter calling on EPA to revisit its March decision on ozone standards. EPA ignored the very same committee's recommendation and set standards for ozone that were higher than recommended. According to published research that move is estimated to result in 5,650 unnecessary deaths annually. That’s not to mention the thousands of cases of cardiac events (heart attacks and respiratory illnesses) that could have been prevented.

Clearly, there’s still much work to be done to clean our air; following the scientific recommendations is a good place to begin.

Add to Your "Must Do" List and Save a Life

The EPA surprised health advocates yesterday by proposing to ban carbofuran on both domestic and imported food.  That's good news for all of us.  Carbofuran is one of the most toxic insecticides still in wide use and poisons our food supply and our drinking water.  EPA is accepting comments for 60 days on the proposed ban and needs to hear your voice that this is a good thing.  Carbofuran's manufacturer, FMC, has vowed to fight the ban.

Of course EPA is an agency run by lawyers and not known for making public comment an easy task.  So here's a sample letter with all of the relevant docket numbers and authority codes. Just click here to download the letter.

About 1 million pounds of carbofuran are used in the U.S. each year and it's even more widely used outside of the U.S.  What's more, studies showed that when birds wandered into a field sprayed with carbofuran, 84% of them died . . . yet we allow farm workers to be exposed to this same chemical as part of their work!

As health advocates, we need to raise the noise level on this issue.  The Washington Post did a half page story, but its gotten scant coverage elsewhere.  The New York Times today only did a small blurb.

So make this a "must do" and save a life.  Write today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and let them know you support the proposed ban of carbofuran.

EPA Devalues Worth of Human Life

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earned front-page coverage after it was revealed that the government agency has lowered its official estimate of life's value!

Leave it to EPA to devalue the worth of a human life.  I guess that inflation missed having an impact on our human worth.  And really...is this how we want to make our environmental decisions?  How do you factor in the costs of a compromised life because of the increasingly toxic environment in which we live?  The EPA has a mandate to protect the public health and yet continues to play a numerical shell game with our lives.