Democrats say politics at work in toxic chemical decisions Tuesday, April 29, 2008 By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON — Democratic senators accused the Bush administration Tuesday of injecting politics into the Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of health risks from toxic chemicals, citing a congressional investigation that concluded the assessments are being undermined by secrecy and White House involvement."By placing politics before science, the Bush administration is putting the public in harm's way," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., at a hearing into EPA's toxic chemical programs.A report by the Government Accountability Office said that White House demand for broad interagency involvement in EPA's toxic chemical risk assessments is undermining the agency's ability to make timely, science-based conclusions on the cancer risks and other health impacts of many chemicals.John Stephenson, GAO's director of natural resource programs, told the Senate Environment Committee that the White House Office of Management and Budget not only is closely involved in the chemical assessments but "actually dictating which assessments that the EPA can undertake."At issue is the EPA's screening of chemicals used in everything from household products to rocket fuel to determine whether they pose serious risk of cancer or other illnesses. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr29/0,4670,EPAChemicalRisks,00.html