Fitzpatrick-led group demands EPA release, explain federal water contamination report

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) led a bipartisan group of lawmakers on insisting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) release and explain why it helped withhold a federal health study on toxic chemicals found to be contaminating numerous water sites in the United States.

The EPA and the White House earlier this year reportedly blocked publication of an undisclosed study on the human health effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) conducted by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s (HHS) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), according to a May 14 investigative piece by Politico that revealed the so-called “intervention.”

The ATSDR was set to publish its draft assessment, which concluded that PFOS and PFOA could cause human harm at a much lower level of exposure than previously acknowledged by the EPA, wrote Rep. Fitzpatrick, who was joined by 12 other lawmakers in signing a May 18 bipartisan letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, including U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA).

“We were particularly concerned by reports that the release of this HHS study was withheld for political reasons, on the grounds that it would create a “public relations nightmare,”” the lawmakers wrote, quoting directly from the Politico article. “If true, this constitutes a clear violation of the public trust.”

The newspaper reported the EPA and White House reportedly stepped in and suppressed the study’s publication after learning the ATSDR determined the chemicals “had contaminated water supplies near United States military bases, chemical plants and other sites from New York to Michigan to West Virginia,” according to the article.

“My constituents have a right to clean, safe drinking water and they deserve to know if exposure to PFOS and PFOA has compromised their long-term health,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “The EPA must provide my constituents with answers to these reports immediately.”

The lawmakers pointed out in their letter that other studies on PFOS and PFOA have linked this class of toxic chemicals to cancer, thyroid disease, immunological and hormonal effects, increased cholesterol, and fertility issues, and they’ve also negatively impacted the growth, learning and behavior of infants and children.

“I am troubled to hear that exposure to these chemicals could be even more dangerous for our sensitive populations than previously thought,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said on May 18. “It would be unacceptable if the political considerations of those at the highest levels of the EPA led to the suppression of information concerning the public health of Americans.”

Rep. Boyle added that “it is beyond unacceptable” for public relations and political interests to trump providing impacted communities with critical information and resources. “EPA must assume its role to protect public health and the environment, no matter how politically sensitive the subject,” he said.

The lawmakers advised in their letter that the ATSDR research should be used to guide EPA’s actions regarding its current evaluation of whether to promulgate a legally enforceable Safe Drinking Water Act regulation that establishes a maximum contaminant level for PFOS and PFOA.

“We demand your explanation for these reports and, most importantly, the immediate release of the HHS study,” they concluded.