Today's Article
The federal agency
charged with
investigating
possible community
exposures to toxic
chemicals may be
failing at its job.
charged with
investigating
possible community
exposures to toxic
chemicals may be
failing at its job.
The American Spark
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Toxic Substances Agency Failing To Protect Citizens, Says GAO
By Cliff Montgomery - May 22nd, 2010
The federal agency charged with investigating possible community exposures to toxic chemicals is failing at
its job, according to a congressional testimony released on Thursday by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO).
The testimony is from Cynthia Bascetta, director of GAO's Health Care oversight division. It discusses the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) policies and procedures for product
preparation.
The testimony was delivered to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight,
a part of its Committee on Science and Technology.
The American Spark prints a GAO summary of this testimony below:
"This testimony discusses the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) policies and
procedures for product preparation. ATSDR investigates community exposures related to chemical sites and
releases; works with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies to identify potential exposures; assesses
associated health effects; and recommends actions to stop, prevent, or minimize these harmful effects.
"In conducting these activities, the agency publishes many types of public health products, including public
health assessments, health consultations, health study reports, and exposure investigations.
"Recent reports by the Institute of Medicine and ATSDR's Board of Scientific Counselors have identified
various concerns such as the appropriateness and quality of the data used in ATSDR's products, the
methodology and design of the studies, and clearance policies.
"This committee has held two previous hearings that focused on its concern about the quality of ATSDR's
products.
"In response, ATSDR has noted that multiple factors have posed challenges for the agency, including
limitations in the ability of available science to answer community questions about the effect of chemical
exposures, limitations in ATSDR's ability to collect data related to exposures, and reductions since 2004 in the
number of ATSDR staff and resources available to conduct the agency's mission.
"This testimony addresses the extent to which ATSDR's policies and procedures for product initiation,
development, and review and clearance provide reasonable assurance of public health product quality.
"We found that the policies and procedures that ATSDR has established for public health product preparation
lack some of the critical controls to provide reasonable assurance of product quality.
"To provide reasonable assurance that agency objectives are being met, federal internal control standards call
for agencies to establish policies and procedures, assess risks associated with achieving agency objectives,
ensure effective information sharing throughout the organization, monitor agency activities, and establish key
areas of authority and responsibility for management and staff.
"We found that ATSDR's policies and procedures are deficient in the three phases of preparation of public
health products:
(1) initiation, which includes a decision by the agency to begin work on a public health product and the
assignment of staff to prepare the product;
(2) development, which includes management approval to proceed with the development of a product and the
actual drafting of the public health product; and
(3) review and clearance, which is the process by which a product is internally or externally reviewed and
disseminated as a final public health product."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - May 22nd, 2010
The federal agency charged with investigating possible community exposures to toxic chemicals is failing at
its job, according to a congressional testimony released on Thursday by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO).
The testimony is from Cynthia Bascetta, director of GAO's Health Care oversight division. It discusses the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) policies and procedures for product
preparation.
The testimony was delivered to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight,
a part of its Committee on Science and Technology.
The American Spark prints a GAO summary of this testimony below:
"This testimony discusses the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) policies and
procedures for product preparation. ATSDR investigates community exposures related to chemical sites and
releases; works with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies to identify potential exposures; assesses
associated health effects; and recommends actions to stop, prevent, or minimize these harmful effects.
"In conducting these activities, the agency publishes many types of public health products, including public
health assessments, health consultations, health study reports, and exposure investigations.
"Recent reports by the Institute of Medicine and ATSDR's Board of Scientific Counselors have identified
various concerns such as the appropriateness and quality of the data used in ATSDR's products, the
methodology and design of the studies, and clearance policies.
"This committee has held two previous hearings that focused on its concern about the quality of ATSDR's
products.
"In response, ATSDR has noted that multiple factors have posed challenges for the agency, including
limitations in the ability of available science to answer community questions about the effect of chemical
exposures, limitations in ATSDR's ability to collect data related to exposures, and reductions since 2004 in the
number of ATSDR staff and resources available to conduct the agency's mission.
"This testimony addresses the extent to which ATSDR's policies and procedures for product initiation,
development, and review and clearance provide reasonable assurance of public health product quality.
"We found that the policies and procedures that ATSDR has established for public health product preparation
lack some of the critical controls to provide reasonable assurance of product quality.
"To provide reasonable assurance that agency objectives are being met, federal internal control standards call
for agencies to establish policies and procedures, assess risks associated with achieving agency objectives,
ensure effective information sharing throughout the organization, monitor agency activities, and establish key
areas of authority and responsibility for management and staff.
"We found that ATSDR's policies and procedures are deficient in the three phases of preparation of public
health products:
(1) initiation, which includes a decision by the agency to begin work on a public health product and the
assignment of staff to prepare the product;
(2) development, which includes management approval to proceed with the development of a product and the
actual drafting of the public health product; and
(3) review and clearance, which is the process by which a product is internally or externally reviewed and
disseminated as a final public health product."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
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