University Of Iowa College Of Public Health

In this two-part interview, Dr. Peter Thorne, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair and Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health and a leading expert in toxicology, provides an in-depth overview of how the federal government regulates chemicals in food, water, and air. Key points: • The EPA and FDA are science-based organizations that interpret laws passed by Congress and apply the best available science to make regulatory decisions aimed at protecting human health and the environment. • The EPA's Science Advisory Board provides independent, non-partisan oversight to ensure the agency's decisions are grounded in scientific evidence. • Chemical regulations are dynamic, with compounds like Red Dye No. 3 and inorganic arsenic being re-evaluated as new scientific data emerges. • The precautionary principle guides regulators to err on the side of safety when the evidence suggests a chemical may pose health risks, even in the absence of definitive human studies. • Replacing problematic chemicals with saf