WASHINGTON (August 29, 2022) — Amid continued and compounding concerns around process for developing and reviewing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2022 draft formaldehyde Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment, the American Chemistry Council’s Formaldehyde Panel (“the Panel”) is calling on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to restart the nomination process for the provisional committee reviewing the draft assessment.
Such action is necessary to fulfill requirements related to expertise, independence, impartiality, bias, balance, diversity, and conflicts of interest, as established under authorities such as the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and NASEM’s Policy on Composition and Balance, Conflicts of Interest, and Independence for Committees Used in the Development of Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations.
“We are troubled by NASEM’s failure to meet its statutory and policy obligations during the selection of the provisional committee,” said Lynn Dekleva, on behalf of the Panel. “The composition of this provisional committee represents yet another deficiency in a process that’s been marked by irregularities, and potential issues of bias and conflicts of interest. We implore NASEM to course correct and take the steps necessary to put forward a review worthy of public confidence.”
The EPA process for this assessment has been marked by a number of irregularities. This reinforces the importance of a transparent, objective NASEM review that is focused on the science, free of any bias, appropriately balanced and is consistent with best practices for a third-party review of this complex chemistry.
To see a detailed record of areas of concern, read the Panel’s full public comment HERE and HERE.
