EPA Unresponsive On Children's Health.

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EPA Unresponsive On Children's Health

Agency has disregarded recommendations from its own advisory group, GAO finds

Cheryl Hogue

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i38/8638news4.html

EPA has ignored recommendations from its Children's Health Protection Advisory

Committee, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative

arm of Congress.

The agency formed the advisory committee in 1997. It is composed of experts in

children's health from academe, health care, industry, nonprofits, and local

governments. Over the past decade, it has made hundreds of suggestions to EPA

regarding protection and improvement of children's health.

But " EPA has largely disregarded key recommendations " from these advisers, John

B. Stephenson, GAO director of natural resources and environment, told the

Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on Sept. 16.

For instance, in 2007, the panel recommended that the agency work to eliminate

environmental health disparities among low-income and minority children and

strengthen federal regulation of chemicals to protect children's health. EPA

pledged to review this and other advice from the group, but it has failed to do

so, Stephenson said.

When the agency proposed changes to air-quality standards for ozone, lead, and

particulate matter, the advisory panel made specific recommendations related to

children's health and these pollutants. " EPA did not acknowledge, was

noncommittal, rejected, or offered only to consider them along with comments

from the general public, " Stephenson told the committee. GAO's probe into how

EPA addresses children's health is ongoing and will be completed in 2009,

Stephenson added.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate's Environment & Public

Works Committee, said GAO's findings demonstrate that EPA is " neglecting

children's health. " George M. Gray, EPA assistant administrator for research and

development, disagrees. " Safeguarding children from unsafe exposure to chemicals

and other toxic substances is a top priority at EPA, " he told the Senate panel.

 

 

" The public has many questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. While

more parents are showing increased concern about these issues and the growing

number of vaccines to be administered to infants and children from day one of

life, there is a growing interest on the part of vaccine manufacturers, state

legislatures and medical societies to enforce vaccination on all children,

through the passing of more and more state vaccine mandates, without first

having a dialogue with the public, or the medical community. " - Dr Lawrence

Palevsky, MD. Pediatrician.

 

 

 

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