WTF? EPA Puts Head Of Office Of Children's Health Protection On Administrative Leave - NYT
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday placed the head of its Office of Children’s Health Protection on administrative leave, in an unusual move that several observers said appeared to reflect an effort to minimize the role of the office.
Dr. Ruth Etzel, a pediatrician and epidemiologist who has been a leader in children’s environmental health for 30 years, joined the E.P.A. in 2015, after having served as a senior officer for environmental health research at the World Health Organization. She was placed on administrative leave late Tuesday and asked to hand over her badge, keys and cellphone, according to an E.P.A. official familiar with the decision who was not authorized to discuss the move and asked not to be identified.
An E.P.A. spokesman, John Konkus, confirmed that Dr. Etzel had been placed on administrative leave and declined to give the reason.
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Several people within the E.P.A. or who work closely with the agency said that Dr. Etzel’s dismissal is one of several recent developments that have slowed the work of the children’s health office. One person cited a proposal outlining a strategy for reducing childhood lead exposure, which had been in development for over a year with the involvement of 17 federal agencies, and which has been stalled since early July.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/climate/epa-etzel-children-health-program.html