"The EPA has all but stopped posting online data about new types of problems commercial chemicals may cause, frustrating public interest groups and businesses that use the information to make health and safety decisions.
The Environmental Protection Agency says it went from posting substantial risk notices for hundreds of chemicals every year in its ChemView database—to posting just two notices since 2019—because the employee who updated the website retired, and because it’s not legally required to keep the website up to date.
The only way to view the data now is to visit the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. That leaves the public “completely blind to critical health and safety information for hundreds of chemicals,” said Jennifer McPartland, a health scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Businesses might need the information to decide whether to purchase a chemical, design an alternative, or improve its health and safety measures, said Richard E. Engler, director of chemistry for Bergeson and Campbell PC."
Pat Rizzuto reports for Bloomberg Environment December 13, 2021.
