EDF, Sierra Club, and Environmental Working Group Sue over Trump EPA’s Evaluation of Dangerous Chemical 1,4-Dioxane

The Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, and Environmental Working Group have filed suit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s risk evaluation for the dangerous chemical 1,4-dioxane, a likely human carcinogen identified as toxic to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. The evaluation was issued in the final days of the Trump Administration.

1,4-dioxane has been identified in a variety of cleaning products and in the drinking water of more than 8 million people in 45 states at levels exceeding health guidelines. Yet the Trump EPA assessed 1,4-dioxane as offering no unreasonable risk to the general public or the environment, despite clear evidence of significant exposures through drinking water, products, and on the job.

The organizations seek to overturn the Trump EPA’s illegal actions while charting a new course on chemical safety under the Biden administration. Plaintiffs in the case are represented by Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP.