White House trying to undo Nelson-Boxer ban on testing pesticides on human babies

July 26, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The White House is urging Congress to reject a one-year ban on testing pesticides on babies - a moratorium passed last month by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Barbara Boxer.

In a recent letter from the federal budget office, the administration urged House and Senate leaders to drop a ban on human testing contained in both chamber's versions of spending bills for the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The letter said the administration cannot "support a funding moratorium" that would prevent EPA from accepting or relying on human testing involving pesticides and "urges that this provision be dropped."

The moratorium was proposed by Nelson, of Florida, and Boxer, of California; and, was approved by the Senate on June 29, during debate on a broader spending bill that funded EPA and other government agencies. The moratorium would prevent the agency from spending any money during the next year to test pesticides on humans.

The two senators proposed the ban after the EPA's new administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, made remarks in early June in defense of a highly controversial government-backed pesticide testing program, funded in part by the chemical industry. In April, Nelson and Boxer had blocked Johnson's nomination for the EPA job - until he had agreed to cancel the study.

The study included testing pesticides on babies in Jacksonville, Florida; and, would give parents small cash payments, a T-shirt and a calendar in exchange for allowing their young children to be exposed to certain household pesticides.

The White House is lobbying behind closed doors in support of allowing EPA to continue such programs; and, House and Senate conferees may meet behind closed doors as early as this afternoon to consider the administration's request.

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