Trump Officials Blocked Staffs' Chemical Nominations For IRIS Assessments

摘要

EPA sources say Trump-era political appointees interfered with the process for staff to nominate chemicals for risk assessment in the influential Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, leading to the sharp decline in nominations for 2021 that prompted the Biden administration to reopen nominations this month."There were some concerns about the last round of IRIS nominations, really the last several rounds of the IRIS nomination process, where there was political interference in the process," one agency source tells Inside TSCA.A second agency source explains the former political leaders of some program offices either did not ask staff to nominate new chemicals to add to IRIS' agenda or did not forward their staffs' recommendations to the Office of Research and Development (ORD), which includes IRIS.The source described this failure as another example of the Trump administration's effort to sideline the IRIS program - which is known for its often conservative assessments that can drive strict policies - in favor of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) program in EPA's toxics office.