Sigs needed - EPA PROPOSES TESTING CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES ON ORPHANS & MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

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EPA PROPOSES TESTING CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES ON ORPHANS & MENTALLY HANDICAPPED

CHILDREN

 

 

Public Comment Period Closes

 

December 12, 2005

 

http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa6.cfm

 

 

 

Public comments are now being accepted by the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) on its newly proposed federal regulation regarding the

testing of chemicals and pesticides on human subjects. On August 2,

2005, Congress had mandated the EPA create a rule that permanently bans

chemical testing on pregnant women and children. But the EPA's newly

proposed rule, misleadingly titled " Protections for Subjects in Human

Research, " puts industry profits ahead of children's welfare. The rule

allows for government and industry scientists to treat children as

human guinea pigs in chemical experiments in the following situations:

 

 

1. Children who " cannot be reasonably consulted, " such as those

that are mentally handicapped or orphaned newborns may be tested on.

With permission from the institution or guardian in charge of the

individual, the child may be exposed to chemicals for the sake of

research.

 

2. Parental consent forms are not necessary for testing on children who have

been neglected or abused.

 

3. Chemical studies on any children outside of the U.S. are acceptable.

 

 

 

Send a letter to EPA :

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1532

 

 

 

OCA's focal concerns with this proposed rule specifically involve the

following portions of text within the EPA document (Read the full EPA

proposed rule here: PDF --- HTML):

 

70 FR 53865 26.408(a) " The IRB (Independent Review Board) shall

determine that adequate provisions are made for soliciting the assent

of the children, when in the judgment of the IRB the children are

capable of providing assent...If the IRB determines that the capability

of some or all of the children is so limited that they cannot

reasonably be consulted, the assent of the children is not a necessary

condition for proceeding with the research. Even where the IRB

determines that the subjects are capable of assenting, the IRB may

still waive the assent requirement... "

 

(OCA NOTE: Under this clause, a mentally handicapped child or infant

orphan could be tested on without assent. This violates the Nuremberg

Code, an international treaty that mandates assent of test subjects is

" absolutely essential, " and that the test subject must have " legal

capacity to give consent " and must be " so situated as to exercise free

power of choice. " This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

 

70 FR 53865 26.408© " If the IRB determines that a research protocol

is designed for conditions or for a subject population for which

parental or guardian permission is not a reasonable requirement to

protect the subjects (for example, neglected or abused children), it

may waive the consent requirements... "

 

(OCA NOTE: Under the general rule, the EPA is saying it's okay to test

chemicals on children if their parents or institutional guardians

consent to it. This clause says that neglected or abused children have

unfit guardians, so no consent would be required to test on those

children. This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

 

70 FR 53864 26.401 (a)(2) " To What Do These Regulations Apply? It also

includes research conducted or supported by EPA outside the United

States, but in appropriate circumstances, the Administrator may, under

§ 26.101(e), waive the applicability of some or all of the requirements

of these regulations for research... "

 

(OCA NOTE: This clause is stating that the Administrator of the EPA has

the power to completely waive regulations on human testing, if the

testing is done outside of the U.S. This will allow chemical companies

to do human testing in other countries where these types of laws are

less strict. This loophole in the rule must be completely removed.)

 

70 FR 53857 " EP

 

 

 

" When the power of love becomes stronger than the love of power, we will have

peace. "

Jimi Hendrix