‘FAKE NEWS’: EPA Sets the Record Straight as Former Staff Say Changes Put ‘People at Risk’
The EPA is defending its decision to retire the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), a program created in 1985 without congressional mandate, after former staff warned the move could endanger public health. The agency argues that IRIS often produced overly conservative risk assessments based on hazard rather than actual exposure, leading to impractical regulations. While the EPA will keep past IRIS reports available, it is adding disclaimers and reevaluating their reliability.
- ▪The EPA created the IRIS program in 1985 without a congressional mandate to assess chemical risks.
- ▪Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, the EPA is retiring IRIS due to concerns over its exaggerated risk assessments and lack of real-world exposure data.
- ▪Former EPA staff and advocacy groups argue the program's retirement undermines toxic chemical protections and increases public health risks.
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Home – Political News – ‘FAKE NEWS’: EPA Sets the Record Straight as Former Staff Say Changes Put ‘People at Risk’ news ‘FAKE NEWS’: EPA Sets the Record Straight as Former Staff Say Changes Put ‘People at Risk’ Tyler O’Neil • May 17, 2026 Print Lee Zeldin speaks before his confirmation as EPA administrator, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (function(){var t=document.querySelector(".wp-block-kadence-dynamichtml"),s=document.currentScript.previousElementSibling;if(t&&s){if("prepend"==="before_element")t.parentNode.insertBefore(s,t);else if("prepend"==="after_element")t.parentNode.insertBefore(s,t.nextSibling);else if("prepend"==="prepend"||"prepend"==="inside_first_child")t.insertBefore(s,t.firstChild);else t.appendChild(s);}})(); The Environmental Protection Agency is…
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