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Public health groups slam Barton's emissions claims
A half dozen prominent public health organizations wrote a letter Tuesday to the No. 2 Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee letting him know that they were "shocked" by his unscientific skepticism of the health risks of pollution.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) appeared to question during a hearing last month whether mercury and particulate matter are harmful to human health. Barton also said the Environmental Protection Agency "appears to have pulled … out of thin air" the estimated benefits from reducing power plant emissions.
"As professionals that treat patients who are impacted by lung, cardiovascular and neurological impairments, we were shocked at such statements," reads the letter. "We are doctors and we see in the patients we treat what that the scientific literature lets us know to expect: that air pollution makes people sick and cuts lives short."
"We strongly urge you and your staff to read through the volumes of work that have been published over the decades on this topic," the letter suggests. "Once you do, we trust that you will agree that the EPA is on strong footing when it assesses and states the health benefits of measures to reduce air pollution."
The letter was signed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Thoracic Society, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
