EPA ikufuna kukulitsa kuletsa mankhwala oopsa m'masitolo

Lembetsani ku imelo yathu yaulere, Watchdog, yomwe imawonetsa atolankhani okhudza kukhulupirika kwa anthu sabata iliyonse.
Pambuyo pa kafukufuku wa Center for Public Integrity pa imfa za methylene chloride zomwe zakhala zikuchitika kwa zaka makumi ambiri, bungwe la US Environmental Protection Agency mu 2019 linaletsa kugulitsa utoto wokhala ndi chosakanizacho kwa ogula, ndipo achibale a ozunzidwa ndi oteteza chitetezo akupitiliza kuyambitsa kampeni yokakamiza anthu. Bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency likuchitapo kanthu.
Lembetsani ku nkhani yathu yaulere ya Watchdog ya sabata iliyonse kuti mupeze nkhani zaposachedwa zokhudza kusalingana kuchokera ku mabungwe ammudzi.
Mgwirizanowu ukufuna zambiri: ogwira ntchito, akutero, satetezedwa ndi malamulo ochepa. Ambiri mwa anthu omwe amafa chifukwa cha methylene chloride amapezeka kuntchito. Zinthu zochotsera utoto si zokhazo zomwe mungapeze.
Tsopano bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency likupereka lingaliro loletsa kugwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride kwambiri—zina zomwe sizikugwira ntchito, koma ndizochepa kwambiri.
“Ndadabwa pang'ono, mukudziwa?” Mchimwene wake wa Brian Wynn wazaka 31, Drew, anamwalira mu 2017 akuchotsa utoto mufiriji ya kampaniyo. Poyamba Wynn ankaganiza kuti zomwe EPA idachita mu 2019 motsutsana ndi anthu ochotsa utoto “ndizo zomwe tingathe kuchita—tidakumana ndi gulu la anthu olimbikitsa ufulu wa anthu ndi Nyumba Yamalamulo omwe adalipidwa kuti aletse anthu ngati ife.” monga ife ndipo adaonetsetsa kuti phindu lawo likubwera patsogolo komanso chitetezo.”
Lamulo lomwe likuperekedwali liletsa kugwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride pazinthu zonse zomwe anthu amagwiritsa ntchito komanso "ntchito zambiri zamafakitale ndi zamalonda," bungweli linatero m'mawu ake sabata yatha.
Bungwe Loteteza Zachilengedwe lati likuyembekeza kuti lamuloli lidzayamba kugwira ntchito mu Ogasiti 2024. Malamulo a boma ayenera kudutsa munjira yokhazikika yomwe imapatsa anthu mwayi wosintha zotsatira zomaliza.
Mankhwalawa, omwe amadziwikanso kuti methylene chloride, amapezeka m'mashelefu ogulitsa m'zinthu monga zotsukira mafuta a aerosol ndi zotsukira maburashi zomwe zimagwiritsidwa ntchito mu utoto ndi zokutira. Amagwiritsidwa ntchito mu zomatira zamalonda ndi zomatira. Opanga amagwiritsa ntchito popanga mankhwala ena.
Bungweli lati anthu osachepera 85 afa chifukwa chogwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride mwachangu kuyambira mu 1980, kuphatikizapo ogwira ntchito omwe adalandira maphunziro achitetezo ndi zida zodzitetezera.
Chiwerengerochi chikuchokera ku kafukufuku wa 2021 wa OSHA ndi University of California, San Francisco, womwe unawerengera chiwerengero cha anthu omwe anamwalira pakadali pano kutengera kuchuluka kwa anthu omwe ali ndi vuto la Public Integrity. Chiwerengerochi sichidziwika bwino chifukwa njira imodzi yomwe methylene chloride imaphera anthu ndi kuyambitsa matenda a mtima, omwe kwa wowonera amaoneka ngati imfa yochokera ku zinthu zachilengedwe pokhapokha ngati munthu ali wokonzeka kuchita maphunziro a poizoni.
Nate Bradford Jr. amagwira ntchito yoteteza moyo wa anthu akuda paulimi. Nyengo ino ya Heist ikufotokoza za nkhondo yake yolimbana ndi mbiri ya boma yokhudza tsankho kwa alimi akuda. Lembetsani kuti mupeze zambiri ndi zidziwitso zachinsinsi pamene magawo atsopano atulutsidwa.
Malinga ndi bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mankhwala amenewa ayambitsanso "zotsatira zoopsa komanso za nthawi yayitali pa thanzi" monga khansa mwa anthu omwe akhudzidwa ndi mankhwalawo, koma osati oopsa.
"Kuopsa kwa methylene chloride n'kodziwika bwino," bungweli linalemba mu lamulo lomwe likuperekedwa.
Kafukufuku wa 2015 wa Public Integrity adapeza kuti mwayi wothandiza anthu kupulumutsa miyoyo wakhala ukusoweka mobwerezabwereza kuyambira m'ma 1970. Komabe, imfa zambiri zidachitika pambuyo poti bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency lapereka lamuloli koyamba mu Januwale 2017, kumapeto kwa ulamuliro wa Obama, ndipo boma la Trump linachedwetsa pempholi mpaka litakakamizidwa kuchitapo kanthu.
Liz Hitchcock, mkulu wa Safer Chemicals for Healthier Families, ndondomeko ya boma yothandiza tsogolo lopanda poizoni, ndi m'modzi mwa omwe agwira ntchito kwa zaka zambiri kuti athetse imfa zomwe zimachitika chifukwa cha methylene chloride. Iye walandira kulengeza kwa chiletso chomwe chikuperekedwachi ngati "tsiku lofunika kwambiri".
"Anthu akumwaliranso chifukwa chogwiritsa ntchito mankhwala awa," adatero. "Anthu akamagwiritsa ntchito mankhwala awa, anthu omwe ali pafupi amadwala ndipo anthu amadwala matenda osatha chifukwa chogwiritsa ntchito mankhwala awa. Tikufuna kuonetsetsa kuti tikuteteza anthu ambiri momwe tingathere."
Koma anasangalala kumva kuti bungwe loteteza zachilengedwe likukhulupirira kuti lamuloli silidzatha kwa miyezi ina 15.
Lauren Atkins, yemwe mwana wake wamwamuna wazaka 31, Joshua, anamwalira mu 2018 atagwiritsa ntchito chotsukira utoto popaka njinga yake ya BMX, akuda nkhawa kuti kugwiritsa ntchito kwake sikuletsedwa. Anakhumudwa kwambiri ataona mabowo awa mu malonda.
"Ndinatsala pang'ono kusiya ntchito yanga mpaka nditamaliza buku lonse, kenako ndinamva chisoni kwambiri," anatero Atkins. Mwana wake atamwalira, cholinga chake chinali kuchotsa methylene chloride pamsika kuti isaphe wina aliyense. "Ndinataya mwana wanga, koma mwana wanga anataya chilichonse."
Bungwe Loona za Chitetezo cha Zachilengedwe linati kugwiritsa ntchito mankhwala amenewa popanga mankhwala sikunaphatikizidwe ndi Toxic Substances Control Act, kotero sikuletsedwa ndi malamulo omwe akuperekedwa. Bungweli linati antchito omwe akupitiriza kugwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride m'zinthu zina zololedwa pansi pa pempholi adzatetezedwa ndi "Pulogalamu Yoyang'anira Mankhwala Ogwira Ntchito Yokhala ndi Malire Okhwima Okhudzana ndi Kuwonekera." Methylene chloride ikhoza kupha anthu pamene nthunzi ikusonkhana m'malo otsekedwa.
Kugwiritsa ntchito kwina kwakukulu kudzapitirirabe mkati mwa ziletso izi, kuphatikizapo ntchito "zofunikira" kapena "zofunika kwambiri pachitetezo" za asilikali, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, ndi makontrakitala awo; kugwiritsidwa ntchito m'ma laboratories; US ndi makampani omwe amagwiritsa ntchito ngati reagent kapena kupanga pazifukwa zololedwa, bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency linatero.
Kupatula mabungwe aboma, methylene chloride siipezekanso m'zochotsa utoto. Mankhwalawa ndi omwe amachititsa imfa zambiri pakati pa ogwira ntchito omwe akukonzanso mabafa akale m'nyumba ndi m'nyumba.
Ndipo methylene chloride sidzaloledwanso kugwiritsidwa ntchito pochotsa mafuta m'mafakitale ndi m'mafakitale, kuchotsa zomatira, kumaliza nsalu, mafuta odzola amadzimadzi, zomatira zokonda kuchita zinthu zina ndi mndandanda wautali wa ntchito zina.
“Pakadali pano, anthu pafupifupi 845,000 akukumana ndi methylene chloride kuntchito,” adatero bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency m'mawu ake. “Malinga ndi zomwe EPA ikupereka, antchito osakwana 10,000 akuyembekezeka kupitiriza kugwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride ndikutsata mapulogalamu ofunikira oteteza mankhwala kuntchito ku zoopsa zosafunikira.”
Dr. Robert Harrison, pulofesa wa zachipatala wa zamankhwala ogwirira ntchito ndi zachilengedwe ku University of California, San Francisco, wakhala akugwira ntchito pa methylene chloride kwa zaka pafupifupi khumi. Iye anati Environmental Protection Agency ikutsatira lingaliro loyesa kulinganiza chitetezo ndi nkhani zachuma ndi chitetezo cha dziko, ndipo adapeza kuti kuletsa kumeneku kunali kolimbikitsa.
"Ndikuganiza kuti ichi ndi chipambano. Ichi ndi chipambano kwa ogwira ntchito," adatero Harrison, yemwe adachita nawo kafukufuku wa 2021 wokhudza imfa zokhudzana ndi mankhwala. "Izi zikukhazikitsa chitsanzo chabwino kwambiri popanga zisankho ndikukhazikitsa mfundo zochokera ku sayansi yomveka bwino ... Tiyenera kuchotsa mankhwala oopsa awa m'malo mogwiritsa ntchito njira zina zotetezeka zomwe zimavulaza kwambiri kuposa zabwino."
Mungaganize kuti mankhwala sayenera kugulitsidwa pamsika pokhapokha ngati apezeka kuti ndi otetezeka. Koma si momwe dongosolo la ku America limagwirira ntchito.
Nkhawa yokhudza chitetezo cha mankhwala inachititsa kuti Nyumba Yamalamulo ipereke lamulo loletsa poizoni mu 1976, lomwe linakhazikitsa zofunikira zina pa mankhwala. Koma njirazi zimaonedwa kuti ndi zofooka, zomwe zimapangitsa kuti bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency lisakhale ndi mphamvu zowunikira chitetezo. Federal Inventory, yomwe inafalitsidwa mu 1982, ili ndi mndandanda wa mankhwala pafupifupi 62,000, ndipo chiwerengero chimenecho chikupitirira kukula.
Mu 2016, Nyumba Yamalamulo inasintha TSCA kuti ilole bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency kuti lichite kafukufuku wa zoopsa za mankhwala. Methylene chloride inali vuto loyamba lomwe bungweli linathetsa.
"Ndicho chifukwa chake tikuyesera kusintha TSCA," adatero Hitchcock, yemwe adagawana ndi maofesi a nyumba yamalamulo kafukufuku wokhudza umphumphu wa anthu panthawiyo ngati zitsanzo zazikulu za kusachitapo kanthu koopsa.
Gawo lotsatira pa lamulo loletsa kugwiritsa ntchito methylene chloride lidzakhala nthawi yopereka ndemanga kwa anthu onse ya masiku 60. Anthu adzatha kupereka maganizo awo pa zomwe EPA ikufuna kuchita, ndipo oteteza chitetezo akukambirana nkhaniyi.
"Ili ndi sitepe yayikulu yopita patsogolo pa thanzi la anthu, koma sikuti ilibe mavuto ake," adatero Hitchcock. Iye amafuna kuona ndemanga "zopempha bungwe la Environmental Protection Agency kuti litsatire malamulo amphamvu kwambiri."
Harrison nthawi ina ananena kuti malamulo okhudza mankhwala ku United States anayenda pang'onopang'ono kwambiri mpaka madzi oundana atayamba kuwapitirira. Koma akuona kuti zinthu zikuyenda bwino kuyambira kusintha kwa TSCA mu 2016. Malamulo atsopano okhudza methylene chloride amamupatsa chiyembekezo.
"Pali mankhwala ena ambiri omwe angatsatire chisankho cha US pa methylene chloride," adatero.
Bungwe la Public Integrity lilibe chikole cholipira ndipo silivomereza malonda kotero utolankhani wathu wofufuza ukhoza kukhala ndi mphamvu yayikulu yothetsera kusalingana ku America. Ntchito yathu ndi yotheka chifukwa cha chithandizo cha anthu ngati inu.
Jamie Smith Hopkins ndi mkonzi komanso mtolankhani wamkulu wa Center for Public Integrity. Ntchito zake zikuphatikizapo ntchito zina za Jamie Smith Hopkins.
Bungwe la Center for Public Integrity ndi bungwe lofufuza nkhani lopanda phindu lomwe limayang'ana kwambiri pa kusalingana ku America. Sitilola kutsatsa kapena kulipiritsa anthu kuti awerenge ntchito yathu.
       Nkhani iyiadawonekera koyamba muMalo Othandizira Anthu Onse Kukhala Okhulupirikandipo idasindikizidwanso pansi pa chilolezo cha Creative Commons.


Nthawi yotumizira: Novembala-09-2023