Press Release  AG Campbell Joins Coalition Urging Congress To Block Dismantling Of Life-Saving Research, Health Protections

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general in sending a letter to Congress, urging members to oppose two Congressional bills that would prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from relying on scientific assessments from the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, which are critical to protect against deadly exposure to toxic chemicals.  

AG Campbell and the coalition’s letter also urges Congress to oppose the Trump Administration’s effort to dismantle the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD), which is the research arm of the EPA that provides the scientific basis for EPA’s work. 

In the letter, AG Campbell and the attorneys general explain that IRIS assessments are the result of an unbiased, scientific review that determines at what level the many chemicals that enter the environment through industry and other sources are harmful to human health. Without knowing the level at which these chemicals can cause a risk to human health, such as cancer and birth defects, it would be difficult for EPA to adequately protect the public from exposure, which will jeopardize the health and safety of the entire county. 

The letter goes on to state that ORD conducts critical scientific research used in a wide range of areas, including protecting drinking water sources from natural disasters and terrorist attacks, studying air pollution caused by wildfire smoke and researching PFAS and other emerging contaminants. The reported plan to dissolve ORD and fire more than 1,000 scientists would have immediate consequences and make it difficult for EPA to meet its statutory requirements of using the best available science to inform its work.  

ORD provides integral scientific and technical resources to states that helps states protect residents from environmental pollutants that can cause significant health risks. For example, in Massachusetts, ORD has been an important collaborator in helping the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) evaluate the effectiveness of DER’s cranberry bog restoration work to improve water quality on Cape Cod and across Southeastern Massachusetts. 

The letter also highlights that IRIS assessments are used by EPA to determine which communities across the country face higher risks from exposure to hundreds of toxic chemicals, such as ethylene oxide. 

Joining AG Campbell in sending the letter are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. 

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