Former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt may be gone, but his legacy of unethical behavior remains.
Aides are suppressing an Environmental Protection Agency report on formaldehyde, Politico reported Friday, even after Pruitt told a Senate panel that it was complete.
The publication of the report, which finds that most Americans inhale enough of the toxic chemical to increase the risk of developing leukemia and other illnesses, is still being delayed by Pruitt's appointees, who are industry advocates rather than environmental scientists.
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"They're stonewalling it every step of the way," one official told Politico, claiming that Pruitt's aides are kowtowing to industries that don't want stricter regulations of the chemical. Americans inhale formaldehyde vapors from wood cabinets and furniture, air pollution from refineries, and other products like hair straighteners.
EPA officials deny that the report is being suppressed, saying the agency is simply continuing to "discuss this assessment." The American Chemistry Council’s Formaldehyde Panel is happy with the delay, saying "a premature release of a draft assessment" could cause "irreparable harm" to the "many companies and jobs that depend on the broad use of the chemical." Pruitt, who told the Senate panel in January that he would be sure to push the report along, then joined his appointed aides in refusing to send emails about the formaldehyde study in order to avoid a paper trail evidencing the delay. Read more at Politico.
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