Toxicologist Helps Maine Revise Policies Bush Administration Heeds American Chemistry Council Request, Bumps Rice From EPA Panel

Maine Morning Sentinel, Hannah Pingree
Published March 5, 2008

As a 31-year-old woman, I hope to have kids in the next few years. At the same time that many of my friends are starting families, I've become increasingly aware of the presence of dangerous toxic chemicals in my own body, in consumer products we all buy every day and especially in household products that kids interact with. That's why I'm so proud that last year the Maine Legislature was among the first of many states to ban the hazardous and outdated deca-BDE flame retardant from household products. Maine firefighters, health and environmental advocates and legislators from both political parties joined together to pass the ban. Only chemical manufacturers opposed it, and it passed with near unanimous support in the Maine House and Senate. The bill passed on the strength of scientific evidence over the rhetoric of chemical makers, and it likely would never have happened without the expertise of Dr. Deborah Rice of the Maine Center for Disease Control. Rice is an internationally respected toxicologist and an expert on toxic chemicals. She studied deca for years before concluding and presenting clear, thorough and accurate scientific evidence that it poses serious health risks to people (especially children), animals and the environment. Traces of deca have turned up in human breast milk, and Rice's studies prove that it slows development of brain and motor skills in children. The state relies on people like Rice to provide factual evidence when we make decisions. She was doing her job last year when she testified before a legislative committee about the harmful impacts of deca. Her thorough review gave Maine and a number of other states the confidence to pass a ban. It also got Rice appointed to head a federal Environmental Protection Agency panel reviewing how much daily exposure to deca is safe. Yet because she provided these findings, the chemical industry labeled Rice "biased." Rice's presence on the panel "calls into question the overall integrity" of the EPA review because of her testimony before the Maine Legislature, charged a chemical industry lobbyist. The Bush administration's EPA was happy to comply with the American Chemistry Council's demands and removed Rice from the panel. The EPA tried to strip any mention of Rice and all of her comments from the original published report and reposted the altered document on the Web without indication that any changes had been made. Later, they issued a disclaimer that she was removed for a "perception of a potential conflict of interest." The EPA's response is deplorable. It's frightening to know that an agency charged with protecting our environment could be so willingly submissive to the American Chemistry Council. Maine State Toxicologist Andrew Smith put it well in the Kennebec Journal on March 1, saying, "It's a sign of the times. If you can't go after the science, go after the person." Dr. Rice's dismissal from the federal board is a disturbing example of what happens to good people who show the courage to stand up for the safety of kids over the profits of international chemical companies, and it's proof that money trumps science at the federal EPA. This makes it all the more important that Maine and other states pass strong policies of our own. This year, Maine and at least 11 other states are considering bills to establish comprehensive toxic chemical policies. Maine's version would create a regularly updated list of chemicals that are proven to have negative health impacts on kids. It would require manufacturers to disclose if their products contain those chemicals, and allow a process for further chemical bans if they're proven to be dangerous and safer alternatives are available. It also would allow Maine to share research with other states that establish similar programs. The federal government's approach to chemical policy may be embarrassing, but it's bringing out the best of state governments. From Maine to Hawaii, states across the country have stopped waiting for the federal government to get its priorities straight and are taking action together. We should be able to assume that if a product makes its way into our homes, it has been tested to ensure that it doesn't contain chemicals that could hurt our families. Rice's dismissal is disappointing proof that Americans cannot rely on the federal government to keep our household products safe. Fortunately, this is not Washington D.C. -- this is Maine, and the American Chemistry Council doesn't have the power and influence it holds in the Bush administration. Its spending and scare tactics didn't stop the Legislature from banning deca-BDE, and it won't bully Maine into disregarding the impacts of toxic chemicals in products that our children are exposed to every day. We're going to move forward on strong policies to keep toxic chemicals out of our homes, and Rice will play a major role in that progress. Her removal from the EPA panel is certainly America's loss. Hannah Pingree is a Democrat serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives, representing 10 coastal and island towns in Knox and Hancock counties. She is House majority leader.