The EPA Must Rely on Proven Methods

Coauthored with California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Coming Clean, Earthjustice, The Farmworker Association of Florida, Environmental Defense Fund, Toxic-Free Future

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for assessing the human and environmental health risks of new chemicals and then regulating these chemicals to protect people and wildlife. We rely on the EPA to provide accurate toxicity tests, especially for people in jobs such as manufacturing or farming that require close contact with chemical compounds.

In the last several years, pesticide and industrial chemical manufacturers have lobbied and worked closely with the EPA to develop new approach methodologies (NAMs) for estimating the hazards and risks of chemicals. These new NAMs, most of which are unproven, frequently understate or incorrectly evaluate hazard and risk, with potentially harmful consequences for workers, families, wildlife, and ecosystems.