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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Tom Perkins

Trump appointees interfered to weaken EPA assessment of toxic chemical

The controversy centered around a 2021 toxicity report for PFBS, a type of PFAS compound that is toxic at low levels.
The controversy centered around a 2021 toxicity report for PFBS, a type of PFAS compound that is toxic at low levels. Photograph: David Pintens/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images

Trump administration appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) meddled in agency science to weaken the toxicity assessment of a dangerous chemical, a new report by the US body’s internal watchdog has found.

In response to what it labeled “political interference”, the Biden administration in February 2021 pulled the assessment, republished it months later using what it said is sound science, and declared it had resolved the issue.

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