Trump EPA is manipulating safety data around a highly toxic flame retardant, advocates allege
Widely used chemical TBBPA may present a danger to US public, and especially children, independent research finds
TL;DR
- Public health advocates accuse the EPA of manipulating safety data on the toxic flame retardant TBBPA.
- Independent research suggests TBBPA levels in homes and consumer goods may pose a danger, especially to children.
- Critics allege the EPA is downplaying the chemical's risks to favor industry interests, a pattern seen under the Trump administration.
- The EPA's draft risk assessment concludes TBBPA is not carcinogenic at suggested exposure levels and proposes no restrictions.
- The assessment heavily relies on industry-funded science that advocates claim underestimates the chemical's toxicity and human exposure.
- TBBPA is widely used in electronics, textiles, plastics, and other consumer products, and is linked to hormone disruption, brain damage, and developmental harms.
- International agencies and cancer organizations have classified TBBPA as a probable carcinogen.
- The EPA's risk assessment is criticized for excluding various exposure pathways and relying on incomplete industry studies.
- A Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals, now reportedly stacked with industry-aligned scientists appointed by the Trump administration, is overseeing the EPA's work.