Faulty reports issued by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are helping polluters dodge cleanup costs and deny compensation to victims living near toxic sites, such as a radioactive landfill in Missouri.
Jaimi Dowdell, M.B. Pell, Benjamin Lesser, Michelle Conlin, Phoebe Quinton, and Waylon Cunningham report for Reuters.
In short:
- ATSDR assessments often downplay risks, relying on outdated or flawed data, benefiting polluters financially.
- The agency's reports are being used by companies to avoid full cleanup responsibilities for toxic waste sites.
- The West Lake Landfill in Missouri has left residents with increased cancer rates and no clear timeline for cleanup despite the EPA's findings of off-site radioactive material.
Key quote:
“ATSDR has a long history of minimizing environmental health problems, and that needs an independent investigation by Congress.”
— Judith Enck, president and founder of Beyond Plastics
Why this matters:
ATSDR's faulty reporting and the accompanying subterfuge harkens back to the tactics employed by Big Tobacco and Big Oil to protect profits and evade accountability. Read more: An open letter to the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner.
