EPA Stalls Release of Carcinogen Report

An investigation by Politico finds the agency has been sitting on an assessment of formaldehyde’s cancer risks for a year and a half.

Written bySukanya Charuchandra
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

ABOVE: The Environmental Protection Agency building in Washington, D.C.
ISTOCK, YINYANG

The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying the release of a draft assessment on formaldehyde that finds the chemical causes nasal and oral cancer and leukemia, according to Politico.

The report has been ready since before President Donald Trump’s entry into the White House, yet it hasn’t been forwarded to the National Academies of Sciences for review nor been made public, reports Politico.

Politico’s investigation suggests that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials have been suppressing the report to cater to the chemical industry. “At every corner, you see the agency trying to either minimize the role of science or manipulate the role of science or just ignore the work of scientists in doing the critical work to ensure that human health and the environment is protected,” Jennifer McPartland, a senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, tells Politico.

EPA denies the ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Related Topics

Meet the Author

Share
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter Logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies