CEH Criticizes the Trump Administration for its Latest Gift to the Chemical Industry
The Center for Environmental Health is alarmed by the Trump Administration’s nomination of Michael Dourson, a close friend to the tobacco and chemical industry, to lead the nation’s toxics program. The nomination serves as yet another gift to the chemical industry from the Trump Administration.
This move increases concerns that the EPA will not safeguard American citizens from cancer-causing chemicals and other toxics. Dourson has done substantial work for tobacco, chemical and drug companies, as well as the lobbying groups, the American Chemistry Council and the American Petroleum Institute.
“Following the likes of Scott Pruitt, who doesn’t believe in banning the poison asbestos, and Nancy Beck, a chemical industry lobbyist, to head up the EPA, Dourson’s nomination is yet another greenlight to the chemical industry that they can wreak havoc with the health of our children and families,” said Ansje Miller, Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Center for Environmental Health. “It destroys any faith the average American could have that the EPA will serve the public interest but instead will prioritize the profit margins of chemical companies.”
Coming right after the appointment of Nancy Beck, a former chemical industry lobbyist, this decision casts yet another shadow over the agency’s ability to implement the updated Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) and ensure that the products on our store shelves and the chemicals in our environment are safe. Rather than draining the swamp, the Trump Administration is creating a ripe environment for toxic chemicals to flood the marketplace and endanger the nation’s health.
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