EPA scientist booted from panel; chemical industry claimed bias

USA Today blog, Michael Winter
Published February 29, 2008

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Environmental Protection Agency has removed the head of a safety review panel after the chemical industry complained she was biased against a flame retardant used in TV-set housings. Deborah Rice, an award-winning toxicologist, was dismissed in August as the chair of a panel reviewing the chemical, known as deca. The Times cites federal records showing that the American Chemistry Council complained to a top-ranking EPA official. Rice's research on low doses of deca has found neurological effects in lab animals. A year ago she testified before the Maine Legislature in support of a state ban on deca. She cited scientific evidence showing it is toxic and accumulating in the environment and people. EPA management removed Rice because of "the perception of a potential conflict of interest." Under the agency's handbook for advisory committees, scientific peer reviewers should not "have a conflict of interest" or "appear to lack impartiality." The Times said Rice, who now works at the Maine Bureau of Health, and EPA officials were not available for comment. Click here to read this post.