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EPA Faces Congressional Scrutiny Over Weakened Formaldehyde Rules

3/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Donald Trump weakened formaldehyde rules by adopting an exposure threshold based on Rory Conolly's studies funded by chemical trade groups.
The Biden-era EPA had concluded that any exposure to formaldehyde increases cancer risk.
Critics, including former EPA scientists, say the Trump EPA cherry-picked data to justify higher threshold.
The Natural Resources Defense Council warns this could weaken other carcinogen regulations, prompting congressional investigation.

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Story summary

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Donald Trump weakened formaldehyde rules by adopting an exposure threshold based on Rory Conolly's studies funded by chemical trade groups.
The Biden-era EPA had concluded that any exposure to formaldehyde increases cancer risk.
Critics, including former EPA scientists, say the Trump EPA cherry-picked data to justify higher threshold.
The Natural Resources Defense Council warns this could weaken other carcinogen regulations, prompting congressional investigation.