Former EPA chemicals expert says agency cuts leave public vulnerable
Maria Doa has spent more than 30 years protecting the public from toxic chemicals.
A staunch advocate for people’s right to know what’s in their air, water and food, she spent decades evaluating chemicals for safety at the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I strongly believe that people have the right to know what they are being exposed to so they can make informed decisions,” Doa says.
Doa is now the chief chemicals expert at the global nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. She recently testified before federal lawmakers on the dangers of toxic chemicals and highlighted the importance of the ban on food dye Red No. 3, enacted during the final days of the Biden administration. Now, she’s petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to stop allowing methylene chloride — a chemical linked to liver cancer — to be used to decaffeinate coffee.
“Many chemicals allowed in our food categorically cannot and should not be deemed as safe,” Doa says.
Given her experience working on chemical risk under multiple administrations, we talked to her about how the changes underway in Washington, D.C. might affect people’s exposure to toxic chemicals.
You worked as a civil servant at the EPA during the first Trump administration. How does that period compare to what’s happening at the agency now?
When the Trump administration came into power in 2017, there was a substantial shift in how the scientific staff at the EPA were treated. At the time, I was directing the EPA’s risk management programs under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and we started to feel pressure to downplay risks if doing so benefited the chemical industry. I think it’s even worse now given the chemical industry lobbyists that this administration has appointed to the EPA.
In my experience, staff don’t want politicians to mess with science. But they are human, and I worry that many fear losing their jobs if they push back.
How do federal job cuts affect the administration’s claim to want to make America healthy again?
Federal agencies aren’t perfect, but the mass firing of experts at the EPA and Food and Drug Administration will not make America healthy again.
I’ve been critical of the FDA given that there are chemicals present in U.S. food that have known links to disease. But I also know that the FDA recently set up a program to reassess chemicals in our food. In fact, they were finally doing it right and had just hired sorely needed experts to reassess these chemicals. Then the administration came in and crippled the program. It makes no sense.
What would be a better approach to protect people from toxic chemicals?
The best approach to get toxics out of our food and the environment is to put the consumer first. To do that, the federal government should fund a deep bench of scientific experts. When you’re evaluating the safety of a chemical, you need experts who really understand if it is going to cause harm.
That’s how you put people’s health first, not by taking a wrecking ball to federal agencies and getting rid of scientists and regulations. Dismantling everything won’t lead to safer food.
How might people be affected by the removal of experts from the federal agencies that protect our health?
It often takes a bit of time for things to show up. But as the EPA stops and loosens restrictions on chemicals, more of the public will be exposed to toxins as their food and environment becomes less safe.
I’m also concerned that by crippling the EPA, industrial polluters won’t take existing regulations as seriously, resulting in more environmental accidents that expose the public to horrendous chemicals. The toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is a good example of an accident that could have been avoided with stronger regulations. But to regulate effectively, you need scientists and experts.
What would you say to those who genuinely want to make America healthy again?
This movement should be focused not only on food, but on the chemicals and pollution in our environment as well.
One thing that keeps me up at night is the growing presence of “forever chemicals,” or PFAS. They continue to be produced and used in everyday items like nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, even food wrappers, even though we know they are harmful. These chemicals get into our water, soil and food and cause harmful effects at very low levels. There are organic farms that can no longer be called organic because of PFAS in the soil. They are linked to cancer and developmental issues for kids.
Right now, the EPA has a strong regulation on forever chemicals that I hope stays, and I’d push this administration to go further. We’re paying billions to clean up forever chemicals, yet they continue to be made and used and released.
EDF has been advocating the EPA to turn off this tap. The agency has the authority to stop a lot of the ways PFAS are used that are not critical.
What advice do you have for consumers who want to protect themselves from chemicals?
Be conscious of what you buy, whether it’s food or other products. I personally minimize using plastic as much as possible. More importantly, be vocal. This dismantling of our public health protections at the federal level is not acceptable. Some states are showing leadership by introducing legislation to ban certain toxic chemicals. When states take action, it drives the market. But we also need people to speak up and demand better protection for public health. The burden of removing toxic chemicals from our air, water, food and products shouldn’t lie with consumers.
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