Throughout my career in science, I have consistently advocated for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement more stringent and lawful public health protections against hazardous chemicals. Although I don’t always concur with the EPA’s ultimate decisions, I hold a deep respect for the scientific process and appreciate the dedication of the agency’s scientists, who serve as a vital resource for our nation.
In a highly concerning move that stands as one of the most egregious assaults on factual and scientific integrity, the Trump administration declared in March its plan to dismantle the EPA’s independent research division. This action will result in the dismissal of over a thousand scientists and technical experts whose roles include determining the carcinogenic risks of chemicals or the environmental impact of industrial pollution on water bodies. Concurrently, the administration has positioned former lobbyists from the oil and chemical sectors to oversee the creation of regulations that govern these very industries.
The administration frequently speaks of enhancing public health, but these words ring hollow. The repercussions of these actions will be detrimental for future generations.
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By purging the EPA of its scientific staff, the Trump administration is effectively crippling environmental protection measures. Essential environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund law, which oversees cleanup activities, all rely heavily on the expertise of EPA scientists. These scientists are tasked with assessing the hazards of chemicals, understanding potential exposure risks, and evaluating the resulting health and environmental damages. They address critical questions like whether exposure to certain workplace chemicals increases the risk of breast cancer, whether emissions from power plants are safe for nearby communities, and what the acceptable levels of persistent PFAS chemicals in drinking water should be.
Instead of bolstering independent scientific research, the Trump administration has repeatedly wielded its power to favor polluting industries, thereby undermining scientific investigations by both government and academic institutions. This leaves industry-funded research as the primary science available for setting environmental standards—a deeply problematic scenario. The public has every reason to distrust science funded by polluters, as history shows with the manipulation of science by the tobacco industry and misleading claims about the safety of nuclear waste.
Take Texas as a case in point. The state has aggressively defended ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, illustrating the dangers of industry-driven science backed by state governments that are intent on distorting scientific facts about harmful chemicals. In 2016, after nearly a decade of research and review, the EPA concluded that ethylene oxide poses a cancer risk 30 times greater than previously believed, based on a study involving over 300 breast cancer cases among women exposed to the chemical. Despite extensive reviews and public input, including from Texas and the chemical industry itself, the EPA’s findings were robust.
Contrarily, in 2020, the chemical industry and Texas regulatory bodies released their own report on ethylene oxide, which was significantly at odds with the EPA’s findings. The Texas report, essentially a product of industry contractors with minimal public scrutiny, downplayed the risks of breast cancer and suggested permissible pollution levels that could increase cancer and other illnesses exponentially among workers and local residents.
Texas has even pushed for the EPA to adopt its dangerously lenient cancer risk assessments on a national level, a move that was reviewed and sharply criticized by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in March. The National Academies’ report condemned the Texas analysis for its deviation from scientific norms and lack of credible evidence, particularly its failure to link ethylene oxide to breast cancer.
The actions of Texas represent just the beginning of the environmental havoc and misinformation that the Trump administration’s policies could unleash, favoring the financial interests of polluters over public health.
The implications are clear: ignoring cancer data, manipulating findings, and accepting unfounded assertions as facts will likely become standard practice, undermining all environmental legislation and compromising our right to a healthy environment.
Ultimately, we all stand to lose from these policies.
*This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.*
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Cameron Aldridge combines a scientific mind with a knack for storytelling. Passionate about discoveries and breakthroughs, Cameron unravels complex scientific advancements in a way that’s both informative and entertaining.