UPDATE: As EPA Held Up Report on Cancer-Causing Chemical, Pruitt's Staff Shielded Him from that Chemical

UPDATE — July 20, 2018: Months before reports emerged that the EPA was holding back a report on the health risks of formaldehyde, then-Administrator Scott Pruitt's staff was trying to protect him from the same chemical, according to Politico.

They were concerned about a new desk he had picked out for a remodeling of his office, which — like many furniture items in the U.S. — contained formaldehyde.

A member of Pruitt's staff sought guidance from a senior EPA scientist after seeing a formaldehyde warning label on the desk, as mandated by California law. The scientist advised that the desk be aired out for a few days before going in Pruitt's office.

The story

Trump administration officials in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are holding back publication of a report that shows most Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of carcinogenic formaldehyde, according to Politico.

Why it matters

Formaldehyde is found in everyday materials like wood furniture, building materials, and household products, despite evidence that it’s highly toxic and causes adverse health effects. The EPA already considers formaldehyde a probable human carcinogen.

This new draft assessment reportedly provides further evidence of formaldehyde’s ties to leukemia, nasopharyngeal cancer, and other maladies.

Politico reports that a current and a former EPA official provided anonymous reports that top advisers to departing EPA administrator Scott Pruitt are delaying the study’s release.

There have been various other allegations of government agencies attempting to suppress or de-emphasize scientific reports in the last year.

While an EPA spokesperson told Politico that the current delay was not intentional, Pruitt told a Senate panel in January that the study was nearly complete.

In May, three Democratic Senators sent a letter to Pruitt asking about the delay, expressing concern that they had received no response from the administration in months.

Politico further reports:

“Andrew Wheeler, the No. 2 official at EPA who will be the agency's new acting chief as of Monday, also has a history with the chemical. He was staff director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in 2004, when his boss, then-Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), sought to delay an earlier iteration of the formaldehyde assessment.”

What do you think?

Are you concerned that the Trump administration is withholding important scientific information from the public? Do you think that these moves reflect Trump’s ambition to rein in bloated agencies? Hit Take Action to tell your reps what you think, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / grubsteaks)