EPA blocks warnings on cancer-causing chemical

-Source-Politico- The Trump administration is suppressing an Environmental Protection Agency report that warns that most Americans inhale enough formaldehyde vapor in the course of daily life to put them at risk of developing leukemia and other ailments a current and a former agency official told POLITICO. The warnings are contained in a draft health assessment EPA scientists completed just before Donald Trump became president according to theofficials. They said top advisers to departing Administrator Scott Pruitt are delaying its release as part of a campaign to undermine the agencys independent research into the health risks of toxic chemicals. Andrew Wheeler the No. 2 official at EPA who will be the agencys new acting chief as of Monday also has a history with the chemical. He was staff director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in 2004 when his boss then-Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) sought to delay an earlier iteration of the formaldehyde assessment. Formaldehyde is one of the most commonly used chemicals in the country. Americans are exposed to it through wood composites in cabinets and furniture as well as air pollution from major refineries. The new assessment would give greater weight to warnings about the chemicals risks and could lead to stricter regulations from the EPA or class-action lawsuits targeting its manufacturers as frequently occurs after these types of studies are released.