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List of EPA whistleblowers

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency has had numerous whistleblowers.

Year Name Action
1983 Hugh Kaufman[1][2]
1994 William Marcus As a Senior Science Advisor for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Marcus witnessed the Office of Drinking Water approve a policy that added fluoride to the nation's drinking water.[3] Marcus was fired after he reported the fluoride could increase cancer rates in the affected population.[4] His testimony led to the discovery of numerous frauds committed by major chemical companies who tried to silence his concerns. Marcus prevailed in front of an Administrative Law Judge and was reinstated with full back pay, as well as a large compensatory damage reward.
1995 William Sanjour William Sanjour worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for over 25 years, where he constantly challenged the safety practices of the agency and ensured the EPA properly dealt with hazardous waste.[5] In 1995, Sanjour won a landmark lawsuit that set a nationwide precedent and First Amendment right permitting federal employees to blow the whistle on their employers.[6] In Sanjour v. EPA, he challenged agency rules restricting EPA employees from talking to environmental groups, a decision that has not been overruled to this day.[7] Sanjour was the recipient of the 2007 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Sentinel Award, which recognizes those who "choose truth over self."[8]
2000 Paul Jayko Paul Jayko was an Environmental Specialist for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.[9] In 1997, when Jayko was assigned as a site coordinator for River Valley Schools area, he discovered that school buildings were built on a site of a former military installation, where carcinogenic materials were buried and disposed.[10] When he attempted to investigate the link between the site and the increased incidence of leukemia in the area, Jayko gradually lost his responsibilities and was ultimately terminated.[10] Later, the manager responsible for retaliation against Jayko lost his bid to become Director Enforcement for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in large part due to the finding by the judge in the Jayko case that the head of the Ohio's EPA personally retaliated against Mr. Jayko.[11]
2000 Marsha Coleman-Adebayo Marsha Coleman-Adebayo was a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She blew the whistle on the EPA for racial and gender discrimination in violation of Civil Rights Act of 1964 which began after she was removed from her position in South Africa where her "job was to essentially help the South African government to work on issues that impact public health".[12] In South Africa she brought to the attention of the EPA the dangerous conditions an American company was exposing African workers who were mining to vanadium, a dangerous substance. Her case eventually led to the passing of the No-FEAR Act in 2002 that makes federal agencies more accountable for employee complaints.[12]
2002 David Lewis Dr. David Lewis was a senior research microbiologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[13] His research assessing the link between human health and use of treated sewage sludge prompted the Centers for Disease Control to issue guidelines protecting workers handling treated sewage sludge.[14] Dr. Lewis published an article criticizing the EPA's sludge rule in 1999.
2006 Cate Jenkins Cate Jenkins informed the EPA Inspector General, U.S. Congress, and FBI about hazardous particulate matter in the dust from the September 11 attacks.[15] In 2006, she went to The New York Times[16] and said that the EPA intentionally hid from responders and the public the danger of the dust at 9/11; the dust caused chemical burns in the lungs of two-thirds of responders that could have been prevented with proper safety equipment. Jenkins was fired from her job in 2010 after harassment from her superiors. In 2012, she successfully sued to be reinstated.[17][18][19]
2018 Ruth Etzel[20]
2018 Elizabeth "Betsy" Southerland[21]
2018 Deborah Swackhamer[22]
2018 Kevin Chmielewski[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "EPA by day, "Chicken Man" at the ballpark by night - EHN". www.ehn.org. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  2. ^ Greenwire, JOHN MCARDLE of. "No Retreat for Veteran EPA Whistleblower in Era of 'Harsher and Vicious' Retaliation". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  3. ^ "William Marcus". National Whistleblower Center. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  4. ^ K. K. C. Staff. "William Marcus | Environmental Whistleblower". Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  5. ^ K. K. C. Staff. "William Sanjour | Environmental Whistleblower". Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  6. ^ "FindLaw's United States DC Circuit case and opinions". Findlaw. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  7. ^ "William Sanjour". National Whistleblower Center. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  8. ^ "An Interview with William Sanjour". www.fraud-magazine.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  9. ^ "Paul Jayko | Environmental Whistleblower". Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  10. ^ a b "Jayko v. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, 1999-CAA-5 (ALJ Oct. 2, 2000)". www.oalj.dol.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  11. ^ Kostyack, Ben (2001-09-18). "Columbus Dispatch: Nominee withdraws EPA bid". Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  12. ^ a b Phipps, Melissa (November 2, 2011). "Fearless Fighter". Barnard College/Columbia University News & Events. New York.
  13. ^ "David Lewis | Environmental Whistleblower". Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  14. ^ "Dr. David Lewis". National Whistleblower Center. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  15. ^ "Jenkins 011102 WTC vs Libby | Nature | Superfund". Scribd. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  16. ^ DePalma, Anthony (August 25, 2006). "E.P.A. Whistle-Blower Says U.S. Hid 9/11 Dust Danger". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Goldenberg, Suzanne (May 7, 2012). "EPA scientist who warned of caustic dust from Ground Zero wins job back". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "EPA Chemist Who Revealed Twin Towers Toxic Dust Fired – Again". Environmental News Service. September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  19. ^ Klatell, James M. (September 10, 2009). "Insider: EPA Lied About WTC Air". CBS News.
  20. ^ Gillam, Carey (2021-09-12). "'The harm to children is irreparable': Ruth Etzel speaks out ahead of EPA whistleblower hearing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  21. ^ "An Inside Look at How Trump Turned the EPA into an Industry Subsidiary". Yale E360. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  22. ^ Reilly, Sean (2021-04-28). "Deborah Swackhamer, science adviser fired by Trump EPA, dies". E&E News. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  23. ^ Mierjeski, Derek Kravitz,Alex (12 April 2018). "Trump Body Man Turned EPA Whistleblower Is Violating Ethics Rules, the Agency Says". ProPublica. Retrieved 2023-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ gress, amy (2020-05-07). "KEVIN CHMIELEWSKI". Government Accountability Project. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
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