EPA - Unanswered questions about Malathion

Today in a meeting at EPA in Washington, and later at lunch with Dr. Brian Dementi, EPA Toxicologist, a group of 8 scientists, activists and an attorney, learned why we cannot trust EPA

Is the EPA lazy, stupid or avoiding/hiding the facts?  Which ever it is, it is killing us.  We will not go quietly to our deaths because of their malfeasance.

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EPA News Flash.  

Contact: Bob Simon, Ph.d; 1-800-296-7053

Today in a meeting at EPA in Washington, and later at lunch with Dr. Brian Dementi, EPA Toxicologist, a group of 8 scientists, activists and an attorney, learned why we cannot trust EPA. We learned that EPA never looks at the evidence of the corporate studies to confirm the reports of the company's hired consultants, pathologists, labs, etc. They only look at the paper reports given to it by the company (usually written by the company attorney). The reason EPA changed "its mind" on the carcinogenicity of malathion is as follows.

1)      600 pathology slides, from a rat 24 month cancer study, were used by Cheminova (manufacturer of Fyfanon ULV, 96.5%% malathion sprayed over NYC in 1999) to change the "likely human carcinogen" (LHC) evaluation of EPA (prepared after a 2 year review).

2)     The slides had originally been read by the Cheminova pathologist contractors as carcinomas.  But when EPA internally circulated the final LHC report on malathion, for "error review" (typographical errors, grammar errors, not substance changes), Cheminova hired "new" pathologists who changed all of the results of the previous Cheminova pathologists to "non cancerous".  And these "new" pathologists read the 600 slides in ONE day.

3)     Then EPA NEVER looked at the slides independently to determine why the change was made, or if the "new" pathologists were correct versus the "old" pathologists.

4)     EPA toxicologists and pathologists, who had labeled malathion a LHC after TWO years of evaluation, NEVER looked at the 600 pathology slides to determine independently if carcinomas, adenomas, etc were present in the rat study.

5)     EPA totally accepted the "new" Cheminova data.  EPA was totally at the mercy of the Cheminova "New" pathologists.

6)     Since the first set of pathologists, who did the 24 month RAT cancer study for Cheminova, called it a LHC, and EPA toxicologists agreed, why did EPA allow a new set of pathologists to change all of the findings during 30 day "error review" period AFTER the final LHC report was written?

7)     Why have EPA toxicologists never reviewed? Why the new pathologists changed the report?

8)     Where are the 600 slides now?  We the people want the 600 slides so we can hire qualified pathologists to read them and decide for us if they show carcinomas, adenomas, etc.

9)     This is the same EPA who gave us "chlordane" as an acceptable risk for termite control in 1983 and then was forced to take it off the market in 1988.

10)     This is the same EPA who gave us Dursban as the alternative to chlordane and has now finally canceled many Dursban uses.

11)     After 30 years of watching EPA fumble every ball (aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, azinophos methyl, arsenic acid, parathion, methyl parathion, etc. and NOW malathion) I have reached the opinion that EPA is too incompetent and too corrupt to continue.

12)     Today not one EPA person knew the Fyfanon labeled-specified temperature limitation for Fyfanon ULV (77 F).

13)     Today not one EPA person knew how much isomalathion was in the Fyfanon sprayed over NYC.

14)     Today not one EPA could respond to our question:  "Did you consider maaloxon and isomalathion in your risk assessment for malathion? 

15)     We demand immediate access to the 600 pathology slides.  We do not trust Carol Browner. We do not trust EPA.  We have heard direct evidence of corruption between EPA and Cheminova.

I call for an immediate special prosecutor to conduct a criminal investigation into the conduct of Carol Browner and EPA in this malathion scandal.

8 million people were sprayed and they have never looked at the slides?

Environmental & Toxicology International 
11244 Waples Mill Road, H2 
Fairfax, VA 22030 

(Editor's Note:  Okay, at what point do the people start meaning more than profits?  Government officials can be sued for malfeasance... is endangering and killing off the population not considered malfeasance?)

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