The Environmental Protection Agency barred reporters from a national summit on water contaminants, which was convened Tuesday by EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. Reporters from the AP, CNN, and E&E News were blocked from attending the meeting, and one reporter was shoved from the building.
At the summit, Pruitt introduced several steps he intends to take to address water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, man-made chemicals found in everyday items such as food packaging. An EPA news release reported that the agency plans to “examine everything we know about PFOA and PFOS in drinking water,” designate the chemicals as “hazardous substances,” and develop groundwater cleanup recommendations. The chemicals, which have been used in products like nonstick coating, have contaminated drinking water across the country and have been linked to pregnancy and thyroid issues.
The summit comes just a week after internal emails revealed that the EPA and the White House attempted to block the publication of a national study that concluded that PFOA and PFOS chemicals can be harmful to human health at much lower concentrations than previously thought. In an email, a political appointee at the Office of Management and Budget called the study a “potential public relations nightmare.”