The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shut down its independent research division, a move long sought by chemical industry groups that objected to its assessments of toxic substances.
Marianne Lavelle reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the closure of the Office of Research and Development (ORD), which housed the agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), responsible for evaluating health risks from chemicals like formaldehyde and ethylene oxide.
- More than 80 industry groups, led by the American Chemistry Council, lobbied for the move, arguing IRIS assessments threatened industry access to “critical chemistries” and lacked transparency.
- Scientists and public health advocates warn that dismantling ORD removes a vital firewall protecting research from political and industry influence, undercutting the agency’s ability to base regulations on independent science.
Key quote:
“They’ve been trying for years to shut down IRIS. The reason why is because when IRIS conducts its independent scientific assessments using a great amount of rigor … you get stronger regulations, and that is not in the best interest of the big business polluters and those who have a financial stake in the EPA’s demise.”
— Darya Minovi, senior analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists
Why this matters:
The closure of the EPA’s Office of Research and Development cuts at the heart of the agency’s ability to independently assess chemical safety. Without IRIS, decisions about air pollutants, drinking water contaminants, and cancer-causing compounds may be made with less scientific rigor and more political influence. Formaldehyde, ethylene oxide, and arsenic are just a few of the chemicals previously flagged by ORD as posing serious health risks, particularly in communities already burdened by pollution. ORD’s work informed national standards under the Clean Air Act and supported litigation against polluters.
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