Standards for chemical exposures worldwide are heavily influenced by those originating in the US – which is bad news for workers, because new research shows those standards are heavily influenced by industry. Using the carcinogen vinyl chloride as an example, US academics found industry influence on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard-setting process had led to ‘weakened safeguards’. Writing in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the researchers conclude “the efforts of the regulated industries often outweigh the ability of the public, unions and public interest groups to participate in developing regulations.”

Jennifer Beth Sass, Barry Castleman and David Wallinga. Vinyl chloride: A case study of data suppression and misrepresentation, Environmental Health Perspectives, published online 24 March 2005, doi:10.1289/ehp.7716 [abstract and full paper].