KarmaOverDogma's Journal: EPA Bows to lobbying pressure, Fires Respected Scientist

In what has been (and will be) perceived as yet another causality in the Bush Administration's war on science, the The Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-epa29feb29,0,1493929,full.story)
reports that the EPA has fired Deborah Rice, a respected neurotoxicologist and chair of chair of an EPA scientific panel responsible for helping the agency determine the dangers of deca.

DECA is a brominated compound that has similarities to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PDBE) based flame retardants, widely used in electronic equipment. It's used in high volumes worldwide in TVs and other electronics, furniture textiles, building materials and automobiles. About 56,000 tons were used worldwide in 2001, mostly in the United States and Asia.

The concern is that deca appears to turn into other brominated substances when exposed to sunlight, and now many scientists say it, too, is building up in the environment worldwide. Deca has similar effects on animals' developing brains as banned PBDEs, which have been found in laboratory tests to skew brain development and alter thyroid hormones, slowing the learning and motor skills of newborn animals.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the dismissal was made in response to accusations by the "American Chemistry Council, the lobbying group for chemical manufacturers, complained to a top-ranking EPA official that she was biased."

Ms. Rice is the same scientist who, in 2004, the EPA gave an award for what it called "exceptionally high-quality research" for a study that linked lead exposure to premature puberty in girls.

EPA officials removed Rice because of what they called "the perception of a potential conflict of interest." Under the agency's handbook for advisory committees, scientific peer reviewers should not "have a conflict of interest" or "appear to lack impartiality." Of course, under such standards, just about anyone could be removed under an "appearance" of bias - by anyone or any group.

After EPA officials dismissed her from the five-member panel, they removed her comments from the panel's report on deca and removed all mention of her.

Environmentalists accuse the EPA of a "dangerous double standard," because under the Bush administration, many pro-industry experts have served on the agency's scientific panels.

Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, called it "deeply problematic from the public interest perspective" for the EPA to dismiss scientists who advocate protecting health while appointing those who promote industry views.

Lunder said it is unprecedented for the EPA to remove an expert for expressing concerns about the potential dangers of a chemical. "It's a scary world if we create a precedent that says scientists involved in decision-making are perceived to be too biased," she said.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he was disturbed by Rice's dismissal and the Environmental Working Group's findings about pro-industry panelists.

"If this information is accurate, it raises serious questions about EPA's approach to preventing conflicts of interest on its expert scientific panels," Waxman said.

Let's not forget who the EPA answers to: Dubya.

I *so* cannot wait until January 20th, 2009.