Chemical review policy criticized

The Bush administration has changed Environmental Protection Agency reviews of chemicals in a way that will delay scientific assessments of their health risks and open the process to politicization, congressional investigators say.

In a new report and in testimony on Capitol Hill, officials with the Government Accountability Office criticized a White House policy to allow the Office of Management and Budget and other agencies to offer secret input on risk assessments of long-term exposure to chemicals. This could prolong the review of certain chemicals.