EPA Doc Tells Us: Malathion A Thyroid Cancer Risk

An EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) physician who has studied malathion for 15 years revealed last week that he believes the pesticide used widely last summer in New York City put residents at risk of developing cancer of the thyroid.
In an exclusive interview with The Queens Courier, Dr. Brian Dementi, a board-certified toxicologist, said that although he had been muzzled by the federal agency he has been able to report out his finding that malathion has a high risk factor.
Dementis union filed a grievance with the EPA because of disciplinary action the agency took against him for breaking ranks with his colleagues on the EPA.
"Ive been convinced for a long time," Dementi said, "that the pesticide is a carcinogen. The only question remaining are the dose levels that can lead to cancer."
Dementi also expressed concern about the number of EPA officials who have left the EPA for positions in the pesticide industry they once regulated.
"Yes, it worries me," he said.
Dementi admitted he didnt know what would happen next in the EPA review of malathion.
"I think that the next step ought to be an assessment of the view of the advisory panel and EPA scientists by the general scientific community," he said.
Asked if he considered resigning from the EPA because of his grievance against the agency, Dementi had this to say:
"I intend to stick it out to the end."
EPA officials did not return phone calls from The Courier responding to Dementis views on malathion.
Last week Congressman Gary Ackerman, a critic of the EPA, cited Dementi as a "whistle blower and hero" for calling public attention to the dangers of malathion.
City officials sprayed millions of New Yorkers with the pesticide last year, but switched to the milder agents, Anvil and Scourge this summer.
Malathion is an organophosphate related to nerve gas and was first registered as a pesticide in 1956.