Did CDC Cave To Pressure Over Toxic Dust?

(CBS)  CBS News reported in January that the Centers for Disease Control, the nation's top public health agency, under pressure from FEMA, suppressed a study citing the long-term health risks of living in travel trailers. Now Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian has found the CDC may again be putting politics ahead of public health. Previously undisclosed documents obtained exclusively by CBS News raise new questions as to whether high-ranking CDC officials caved to political and corporate pressure - and shut down a major public health study putting the residents of a small Ohio town at risk.

---

"It's worrisome; it's very worrisome."

Bernadette Eriksen lives in Elmore, Ohio, where the material engineering company Brush Wellman operates the world's largest manufacturing plant for beryllium, a metal used to make parts found in nuclear weapons, golf clubs and computer chips.

During manufacturing it produces a toxic dust. Exposure can cause an incurable, often-fatal lung disease and possibly cancer, Keteyian reports.

In 2001, in response to community concerns, the CDC began looking at whether beryllium dust from the plant was a health hazard. By 2005, CDC scientists pledged a thorough investigation - with blood tests for up to 200 residents and household dust readings.

"A sigh of relief comes over your family because testing is going to be done and the answers are coming," Eriksen said.

In the spring of 2006, Brush Wellman threatened to withdraw plans for a new multi-million dollar plant because of the CDC research.

At the urging of the company president, then-Ohio Gov. Bob Taft sent a handwritten note, obtained by CBS News to Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services. In it, he complained that actions in Elmore by the CDC's agency for toxic substances, known as ATSDR, "are a deterrent to choosing Ohio," adding, "Please have someone look into this and get back to me..."

Within days, the note was forwarded from Leavitt's office to that of CDC Director Julie Gerberding, and quickly passed down to ATSDR managers.

By April 14, an internal document reveals the agency was now taking "...a fresh look at scientific and related ... issues," and a "more limited approach" in Elmore. Only 18 residents - not 200 - would get blood tests.

Household dust readings were out.

---

Get the inside story at Primary Source: Congress Takes On The CDC.

---

In September 2006, just five months after the Ohio governor had sent his letter and shortly after ATSDR had packed its bags and left town, Brush Wellman decided that Elmore would be the site of its new 100,000-square-foot production facility.

Congress is investigating. Both Brush Wellman and Health and Human Services declined an interview request with CBS News. Dr. Thomas Sinks, a director at the CDC, said they used the best science.

"There was no political pressure that affected our decision of what we were going to do," Sinks said.

Keteyian asked: "No pressure from the governor of Ohio? No pressure from Secretary Leavitt? No pressure from Dr. Gerberding, who runs this agency?"

"I received no pressure that would have altered a decision that we made to go forward to use the most definitive tests we could," Sinks said.

But Eriksen said: "If we cannot rely on these agencies that come in on a big white horse and make all these promises, who are we going to trust?"

[veteran72]

Your doin'' a heckuva job, (insert name of talentless, low IQ Shrub cronie here),.....

[boston1954]

so sorry. it wasn''''t showing, is there a way to delete all but one? Posted by kendall20082
___
Kendall, If you click on the abuse button, CBS will take them out. They should change the name to problem button. A lot of these multi-posts are by accident.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by tenntom18

That was back when the Gingrich people were screaming about the deficit, and advocating their "contract on America". They had access to all the channels of mainstream media, and any voices of reason were not allowed equal voice. As soon as they gained power however, the crawler stopped.

Maybe it is not pressure if you agree with them.

[jwrhea]

My dog died the other day and i am sure those vile nazi-facist bush hacks had something to do with it. im with you guys. Bush and his cronies have not just defiled other countries. From what i read here on these comments on every story posted on CBS, They are behind everything that happens every day no matter how trivial or serious. My daughters goldfish is looking very bad. I dont know how long i can continue to go without sleep trying to keep Bush or Cheney from sneaking in and finishing him off. Please help.

[tenntom18]

I recall several years ago, CBS News used to run a crawler with every newscast giving the national debt. That was around 8 trillion dollars ago. Suddenly, they stopped and never gave an explaination of why they discontinued it. We must assume that CBS "...received no pressure .." from any of the myraid of hacks who roam the not so hallowed halls of Washington.

[harp1963]

Is organized crime running the U.S. Government and is there anybody with money and power who can fight them?

[jdatbs77]

Why is this just now coming to light? It''s no secret that Bush/Cheney and their gang of corrupt, greedy, immoral cronies have decimated the regulatory power of every federal environmental agency under their control. It''s not surprising that the press is now getting up the courage to come forward and write about it, now that these moral equivalents of Nazi war criminals are nearly at the end of their terms of office. WHERE ARE THE GOOD GUYS??? Bush, Cheney, John Graham, Gale Norton, the whole bunch should be in prison. Period.

[jdatbs77]

Why is this just now coming to light? It''s no secret that Bush/Cheney and their gang of corrupt, greedy, immoral cronies have decimated the regulatory power of every federal environmental agency under their control. It''s not surprising that the press is now getting up the courage to come forward and write about it, now that these moral equivalents of Nazi war criminals are nearly at the end of their terms of office. WHERE ARE THE GOOD GUYS??? Bush, Cheney, John Graham, Gale Norton, the whole bunch should be in prison. Period.

[mjlilly]

Yes, as another said, if he is going to do science stories, he needs to learn to pronounce "nuclear."

He also needs to ask follow-up questions. Please, when Sinks says:
" ''There was no political pressure that affected our decision of what we were going to do,'' Sinks said. "
It begs for a follow-up: Was there political pressure that you resisted? Who did it come from?

[alphaa10-2009]

With Bush and his GOP political appointees at FTC, FDA, CDC, FAA, FEMA and a host of other agencies, the American people and their health and safety rank dead last.