Legislation in Congress threatens to gut the EPA’s ability to regulate toxic chemicals by banning the use of assessments from its IRIS program, a move environmental advocates warn could cripple public health protections.
Sharon Lerner reports for ProPublica.
In short:
- The IRIS program, which has provided independent chemical toxicity assessments since the 1980s, is under attack by Republican lawmakers and industry groups pushing legislation to ban its use in environmental regulations.
- The "No IRIS Act" would prohibit the EPA from relying on IRIS data when enforcing pollution limits, potentially rolling back protections against known carcinogens and toxic pollutants.
- The bill aligns with the anti-regulatory agenda of Trump’s second term, echoing corporate claims that IRIS assessments harm industry profits, despite their role in identifying cancer risks and informing regulations that have shut down hazardous polluters.
Key quote:
“It’s blatant self-interest. What they’re really trying to do here is prevent the EPA from doing assessments of their chemicals.”
— Robert Sussman, a veteran attorney who previously worked at the EPA as well as chemical companies
Why this matters:
Without IRIS, the EPA loses its scientific backbone for determining chemical risks, leaving communities — especially those near industrial sites — vulnerable to increased exposure to carcinogens. For industry, this is a dream come true. For the public, it’s a fast track to more toxic exposure, weaker pollution laws, and corporate polluters getting a free pass.
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