Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:29:47 EDT
Scientists Resign from Unbalanced EPA Advisory Panel on Toxins
Three members of a federal science advisory panel on pollution prevention resigned last week, citing excessive industry influence over the board's agenda. Richard Denison, senior scientist for Environmental Defense, Joseph Guth, executive director of the California League for Environmental Enforcement Now, and Joel Tickner, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, resigned October 2 from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Pollution Prevention & Toxics Advisory Committee, which is charged with reviewing the agency's assessment and management of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The three scientists said the seven industry representatives on the 15-member panel have limited its agenda to "narrow, short-term issues" that do not warrant the time or expense to EPA. The panel includes representatives from Dow, Procter & Gamble, the American Chemistry Council, and the American Petroleum Institute.
