EPA Criticized By Academics: Identifying Susceptible Populations
On August 29, 2019, an article titled Population susceptibility: A vital consideration in chemical risk evaluation under the Lautenberg Toxic Substances Control Act was published in the PLOS Biology Journal. The article, written by academics, criticizes EPA for not identifying pregnant women, infants, children, families near industrial sites, and other susceptible and highly exposed populations in its risk evaluations. This lack of consideration for vulnerable populations, according to the article, is the lead cause of EPA’s future challenge to incorporate current scientific principles and address data deficits in the process of identifying, evaluating, and mitigating unreasonable risks. Given this challenge, Koman et al. urge EPA to act quickly to identify potentially highly exposed or susceptible populations and subpopulations, evaluate risks, and safeguard health through primary prevention