FAN Bulletin 1080: URGENT: Help fight more DOW-EPA fraud

[Guest guest]

FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK

_http://www.FluorideAlert.Org_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/)

 

FAN Bulletin 1080: URGENT: Help fight more DOW-EPA fraud

 

July 10, 2009,

 

Dear Shan,

 

We need your help before midnight tonight, if we are to prevent more

fluoride exposure to our population and more fraud at the EPA.

 

Introduction

 

Many of us had hoped (and believed) that when Obama took office he would

restore scientific integrity to the regulatory agencies. In particular, we

had hoped that he would rescue the EPA pesticide division from the

stranglehold influence of the chemical industry. One way that this could have

been

demonstrated would have been to have put a hold on Dow AgroSciences use of

the fumigant sulfuryl fluoride on foodstuffs in warehouses and processing

plants. Such use leaves very high levels of fluoride on many foods, at a time

when it is clear that the US population is already being grossly

over-exposed to fluoride. Even the CDC admits that over 30% of American kids

have

dental fluorosis, which is scientific evidence of over-exposure to fluoride

(CDC, 2005).

 

For over 5 years FAN has been intervening in EPA's permitting process and

has clearly demonstrated the fraudulent manipulation of the data contained

in the health risk assessments performed by EPA in this process. The health

risk assessment was redone twice by the EPA in an attempt to get around

the fact that FAN had shown that infants were already exceeding the safe

reference dose (dosage) of 0.114 mg per kg bodyweight per day, and thus no new

source should be permitted. Rather than acknowledging this, the EPA TWICE

raised the reference dose for infants. First, to 0.561 mg/kg/day and then to

1.14 mg/kg/day. The latest safe reference dose for infants is now TEN

times higher than the safe reference dose for adults. Such a contention not

only defies common sense and basic toxicological principles but also the

mandates of the Food Quality and Protection Act (FQPA), which requires that an

extra safety factor be applied to protect infants and young children from

pesticide residues in risk assessments because of their known extra

sensitivity to toxic substances during early development. Thus, if anything the

reference dose should have been set lower for infants than adults, not TEN

times higher!

Ironically, even the reference dose for adults (0.114 mg/kg/day) is in

doubt because it's based upon the EPA's safe drinking water standard of 4 ppm

which the National Research Council panel has stated is not protective of

health (NRC 20060.

 

The EPA has simply refused to explain these horrendous manipulations.

Instead, they offered to participate in a mediation process. But this has

simply been a huge delaying tactic. We had naively hoped that they were

delaying

the process until a more friendly administration was in place. Thus, we

were shocked to discover that before the EPA had responded to our critique of

their unscientific health risk assessment(s), and our appeal that the use

of sulfuryl fluoride be halted pending such an explanation, that the EPA is

now considering allowing Dow AgroSciences to extend the use of sulfuryl

fluoride as a pre-plant soil fumigant!

How you can help fight this

 

Fortunately, the Sierra Club has intervened on this expanded use of

sulfuryl fluoride because of the fact that sulfuryl fluoride is a very potent

Greenhouse gas, contributing to Global warming. They have set up the machinery

for people to send in comments to the EPA on this. We request that you

piggy back on this machinery and add a comment to the effect:

" Not only am I concerned about sulfuyrl fluoride's global warming

potential but I am also very concerned that the EPA is considering expanding

the

use of this highly toxic fumigant before it has addressed the charges raised

by the Fluoride Action Network that the health risk assessments that they

performed for Dow were outrageously manipulated to yield a safe reference

dose for infants (1.14 mg/kg/day) which is TEN times higher than the

reference dose for adults (0.114 mg/kg/day). Such a manipulation defies common

sense and basic toxicological principles but also the mandates of the Food

Quality and Protection Act (FQPA), which requires that an extra safety factor

be applied to protect infants and young children from pesticides because of

their known extra sensitivity to toxic substances during early development.

 

I thought with he election of President Obama we were going to get more

scientific integrity at the EPA, instead we are getting more poison for our

kids! They are already being over-exposed to fluoride - they don't need any

more. Don't let this travesty happen. "

_Click here to sign SIERRA'S PETITION_

(https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage & page=UserActi\

on & id=2545 & autologin=true & JServS

essionIdr011=kmutt74ot1.app17a)

 

Don't forget that this has to be done before MIDNIGHT July 10. It doesn't

matter what country you live in. Please get your friends to do the same.

 

Many thanks

 

Paul Connett

PS: please let us know if you sign the petition so we can get some idea

of the numbers.

 

###

 

To from these bulletins, click on the following link:

_http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/.jsp _

(http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/.jsp)