By Steve Milloy ——Bio and Archives--June 11, 2011
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Legislation that would require U.S. EPA to investigate possible links between environmental toxics and disease clusters passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee yesterday. The “Strengthening Protections for Children and Communities From Disease Clusters Act” (S. 76), offered by Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), cleared the panel on a party-line 11-7 vote. Only Crapo joined Democrats in supporting the bill.But “disease clusters” are myths. As Steve Milloy pointed out in this 2003 FoxNews.com column:
The CDC previously investigated and reported on 108 cancer clusters between 1961 and 1990. None could be linked with environmental causes. Because cancer clusters are now viewed as chance occurrences, state public health departments view cluster investigations as wild goose chases. They’ve even adopted procedures to avoid wasting precious resources on pointless investigations.Sen. Jim Inhofe said the bill wouldn’t pass the Senate — but even Inhofe’s views leave much to be desired:
…Environment and Public Works ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said it would not pass the full Senate. Inhofe said the bill failed to take into account Republican concerns. “Although this bill passed out of Committee today, it will not pass in the Senate,” Inhofe said in a statement. Inhofe also called the bill an “EPA power grab.” “It takes authority away from health experts at the Center for Disease Control and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and gives it to the EPA — a regulatory agency that is far less qualified for the job and motivated by a strong political agenda,” he said.But of course, the CDC has already looked at this issue and debunked it. Why look at it again? So the politicized Obama CDC can set up mass tort litigation for trial lawyers? But at least Inhofe had the sense not to side with Boxer. Imagine Crapo’s thought process: “I’ll be the only Republican to side with the wacky Barbara Boxer on a bill to allow the rogue EPA engage in more mischief… yeah, that’s the ticket!”
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Steve Milloy publishes JunkScience.com and GreenHellBlog.com and is the author of Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them