He thawnthu hi Center for Public Integrity nen thawhhona tha tak neia tihchhuah a ni a, hei hi non-profit newsroom, inthlauhna chhuitu a ni.
inbual. thuah. thirsakawr. Kevin Hartley, Drew Wynn leh Joshua Atkins te hian thla 10 pawh tling lovah an thih lai khan hna hrang hrang an thawk a, mahse an dam rei chhan chu a inang vek a ni: paint thinner-a chemical awm leh ram puma dawr hrang hranga hralh chhuah thil dangte.
An lungngaihna leh hlauhna karah chuan an chhungkua chuan methylene chloride chu a that leh tawh loh nan theihtawp chhuah turin an tiam a ni.
Mahse US-ah chuan hnathawk leh consumer humhalhna \ha lo tak tak a neih tawhna chanchin a inthlak danglam nasa hle a, mak tak maiin chemical tlemte chauhvin chutiang chanvo chu an tuar a ni. Hei hi methylene chloride chu serial killer a nih dan a ni a, Hartley, Wynn leh Atkins te pian hma daih tawh khan a meikhu hlauhawmzia vaukhânna pek a nih lai pawhin. Kum sawmhnih kalta chhung khan agency inrawlhna awm lovin mi tam tak, a aia tam pawh ni lo, mi tam tak an thi tawh a ni.
Center for Public Integrity-in a chhui chianna leh himna lama hma latute ngenna a neih hnuah, a tawpah chuan US Environmental Protection Agency chuan paint remover-a hman chu a tam zawkin khap a rawt ta a ni.
Kum 2017 January thla kha a ni a, Obama administration hun hnuhnung ber a ni. Chumi kum April thla khan Hartley a thi a, chumi kum October thla khan Wynn chu a thi a, a kum leh February thla khan Trump administration-in deregulation a tihbuai karah Atkins hi a thi a, Trump administration chuan dan hi tihtawp a duh a, a belh duh lo a, a bik takin Environmental Protection Agency-ah chuan a thi a ni. Methylene chloride rawtna chu a hlawhtling lo.
Mahse, Atkins-a thih hnu thla 13 hnuah Trump Environmental Protection Agency chuan nawrna avangin methylene chloride awmna paint thinner retail-a hralh chu tihtawp a rel ta a ni. April thla khan Biden-a Environmental Protection Agency chuan consumer product zawng zawng leh hnathawhna hmun tam zawkah he chemical hi khap a rawt a ni.
“US-ah hian hetiang hi kan ti tlem hle a ni,” tiin University of California, San Francisco-a occupational leh environmental medicine clinical professor Dr. Robert Harrison chuan a sawi. “Heng chhungkua te hi ka pasalthate an ni.”
Hetiang result hi an hmuh theih nan odds an hneh dan te, leh kawng harsa tak i zawh a nih chuan an thurawn te, chu dinhmunah chuan thil hlauhawm tak tak, hnathawhna hmun him lo, boruak bawlhhlawh, emaw, hlauhawm dang emaw a tel emaw pawh nise.
“Google everything,” tiin Brian Wynn chuan a sawi a, a unaupa kum 31 mi Drew chuan South Carolina-a a cold beer coffee dawr siamṭhatna tur dichloromethane product a lei a ni. “Tin, mipuite hnena ngenna a ni bawk.”
Hetiang hian a unaupa thih hma kum hnih chhunga public inquiry tihchhuah a nih dan a hriat dan te, mithiamte a biak dan te, khawi atanga thil lei tur nge tih atanga heng thihna thlengte hi zawn chhuah a harsat em em tih thlengin a zir vek a ni. (Methylene chloride meikhu hi in chhunga a punkhawm chuan a thihpui thei a, heart attack thlen theihna hi tumahin toxicology test an tih loh chuan natural death ang mai a ni.)
Kevin-a nu Wendy Hartley-i thurawn: “Academic” tih hi zawnna atana thumal pawimawh ber a ni. Research corpus pum puiin a nghak mai mai che a ni mai thei. “Hei hian ngaihdan leh thudik thliar hrang turin a pui dawn a ni,” tiin email-ah a ziak.
Kum 31 mi Joshua nu Lauren Atkins chuan a BMX bike hmalam fork siam that tumin a thi a, UCSF Harrison hi vawi eng emaw zat a bia a ni. Kum 2018 February thla khan a fapa chu paint stripper liter can khat bulah a thi a, a thi tih a hmu a.
Harrison-i’n methylene chloride a hriatna chuan a fapa toxicology leh autopsy report-te chu thihna thlentu chiang takah a letling thei a ni. He chiang taka sawi hi thiltih theihna tur lungphum nghet tak a ni.
Vawi tam tak chu chemical exposure hian mite tana chhiatna a tikhawtlai a, kum tam tak chhung chu hriselna lama nghawng a nei lo thei a ni. Pollution pawh hi chutiang bawk chu a ni thei. Mahse sorkarte hian heng hlauhawmte hi eng emaw ti se i duh chuan academic research hi bul tanna tha tak a la ni reng a ni.
An hlawhtlinna bulpui ber chu heng chhungkawte hi chemical safety lama thawk tawh pawl hrang hrang nena inzawm tlat leh inzawmkhawm an nih vang a ni.
Entirnan, Lauren Atkins chuan Change.org-ah advocacy group Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, tuna Toxin-Free Future-a tel, methylene chloride products chungchanga petition a hmu a, tun hnaia a fapa thi tawh chawimawina atan a sign a ni. Brian Wynn chuan rang takin a kut chu a rawn phar chhuak a.
Teamwork hian an chakna te chu a hmang tangkai thin. EPA-in hma a lak loh chuan heng chhungkua te hian retailer-te chu an shelf atanga thil siam chhuah tir tir turin bul an tan thar a ngai lo: Safer Chemicals Healthy Families chuan hetiang kohna chhanna atan “Think Store” campaign an kalpui a ni.
Tin, departmental rulemaking emaw Capitol Hill-a lobbying emaw chhungril hnathawh dan pawh anmahni ngeiin an chhui chhuah a ngai lo bawk. Safer Chemicals Healthy Families leh Environmental Defence Fund te hian he kawngah hian thiamna an nei a ni.
MORE: ‘Nun tana phurrit’: Zirchianna pakhatah chuan mipa hring kum upa zawkte chu mipa puitlingte aiin boruak bawlhhlawh vanga thihna a let thum zetin an tam zawk tih hmuhchhuah a ni.
Climate change chungchanga tawng zawn Heather McTeer Toney hian South-ah environmental justice a bei a
“Hetiang team i din theih hunah... thiltihtheihna tak tak i nei a ni,” tiin Brian Wynn chuan he thubuai chungchanga pawl dang, Natural Resources Defense Council chu a sawi.
He beihpui thlaknaa tui zawng zawng hian vantlang hmun an chang thei dawn lo. Entirnan, permanent legal status nei lo pem lutte chu hnathawhna hmuna hlauhawmna an tawk nasa zawk a, status an neih loh avangin thusawi harsa emaw, sawi theih loh emaw a ni thei.
Thil mak tak mai chu heng chhungkawte hian an ngaihtuahna zawng zawng chu Environmental Protection Agency-ah an dah vek a nih chuan he agency hi a thawk lo mai thei a, a bik takin Trump administration lai khan.
Mind the Store kaltlangin retailer-te chu methylene chloride awmna paint stripper hralh loha nunna chhanhim turin an ngen. Petition leh protest te chuan hna a thawk a ni. Pakhat hnu pakhatin Home Depot leh Walmart te ang company te chuan tihtawp an remti ta a ni.
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families leh Environmental Defence Fund kaltlangin Congress member-te chu hma la turin an ngen a ni. Chhungkaw thlalak kengin Washington lam an pan ta a. Thuthar thehdarhtute an bia a, chanchinbuin a tithinur zual hle.
South Carolina atanga Senator leh Congress member pakhat chuan Scott Pruitt hnenah lehkha an thawn a, ani hi chutih laia Environmental Protection Agency administrator a ni. Congress member dang pakhat chuan April 2018-a hearing neih ṭumin Pruitt chu he thubuai chungchang sawiho aṭanga inhnukdawk turin a ngen. Heng zawng zawng hi Brian Wynn-a sawi dan chuan chhungkawte chu May 2018-a Pruitt nena inhmuhkhawmna tur ruahmanna siam turin a pui a ni.
Brian Wynn chuan, “Security chu a mangang hle a, a chhan chu tumah hmu tura an kal loh vang a ni,” a ti. “Oz ropui leh thiltithei tak nena inhmuhna nen a inang hle.”
Kawng lakah chuan chhungkaw tinte chuan court lam an hawi a. Social media hmangin mite chu hlauhawma insiam lo turin an vaukhân a ni. Lauren Atkins chuan hardware dawrah chuan methylene chloride thil siamte chu shelf aṭanga lak chhuah tumin an tih ang kha an ti tak tak em tih chu amah ngeiin a en a. (A chang chuan a ni, a chang chuan ni lo.)
Heng zawng zawng hi a hahthlak a nih chuan i tisual lo. Mahse chhungkua te chuan an inrawlh loh chuan eng nge thleng dawn tih chiang takin an sawi.
Lauren Atkins-i chuan, “Tun hmaa engmah tih a la nih loh angin engmah tih a ni lo vang,” a ti a.
Hnehna tenau te chu a pung zel. Chhungkaw inthlahdah loh avangin thil pakhat chuan thil dang a thlen thin. Vawi tam tak chu hun rei tak chhunga inremna siam a ngai thin: federal dan siam hi a pianphungah chuan a slow hle.
Agency chuan dan siam tura zirchianna mamawh chu a tihfel theih nan kum engemaw zat emaw a aia rei emaw a la ngai thei. He rawtna hi tihfel a nih hmain harsatna a paltlang a ngai a ni. Mahse, khapna emaw, thil mamawh thar emaw eng pawh chu hun kal zelah a lo lang zauh zauh mai thei.
Chhungkaw hrang hrangte hian EPA-in a khapna ṭhenkhat chu rang taka an hmuh theihna chhan chu, agency chuan he ruahmanna hi a shelf tak tak hmain a tichhuak a ni. Mahse EPA khapna hi Kevin Hartley thih hnu kum 2.5 hnuah hman a ni ta lo. Tin, hnathawhna hmuna hman dan pawh an cover lo – kum 21 mi Kevin-a hnathawhna hmuna bathroom a fiddling ang kha.
Mahse, agency hian tu nge enkawl tih a zirin thutlukna hrang hrang a siam thei a ni. EPA rawtna hnuhnung ber, August 2024-a tihchhuah tura ruahman chu hnathawhna hmun tam zawkah methylene chloride hman khap a ni dawn a, bathtub refinishing pawh a khap dawn a ni.
Lauren Atkins chuan, “I dawhtheih a ngai a, i chhel a ngai a ni,” a ti. “Mi nunah a lo thleng a, a bik takin i fate an nih chuan i hmu chhuak thin.Tunah hian a thleng mek a ni.”
Driving change hi a harsa hle. Nangmah emaw, i hmangaih tak emaw hliam a nih avânga inthlâk danglamna zawn chu thil dangin a tih theih loh thlamuanna a pe thei a nih pawhin a harsa zâwk thei a ni.
Buckle up a ni a, hei hi emotional train wreck a nih dawn avangin Lauren Atkins chuan a vaukhân. “Miten min zawt fo thin, engvangin nge hetiang thil hi ka tih chhunzawm zel, chu chu emotional leh harsa tak a nih lai pawhin?Ka chhanna chu hetiang hi a ni fo a, a ni reng bawk ang: “Chuvangin ka hmuna i thut a ngai lo. Ka awmna hmunah ka awm a ngai lo.”
“I chanve i hloh hian engtin nge i awm?A chang chuan a thinlung chu ka thinlung nen ni khatah a tawp niin ka hria,” a ti. “Mahse, he thil hi tumah paltlang ka duh loh avangin Joshua-in a hloh chu tumahin an hloh ka duh lo a, chu chu ka tum ber a ni.A tul apiang ti turin ka inpeih reng a ni.”
Brian Wynn pawhin chutiang bawka chêttîrtu chuan i marathon tlan zawh theih nân stress-relieving session a pe a ni. Gym chu a ta a ni. “I rilru natna chhuah dan tur i zawng a ngai a ni,” a ti bawk.
Wendy Hartley chuan activism hi chhungkaw dangte puihna leh an result an neih dun hmangin a takin a tidam niin a ngai.
Organ donor a nih angin a fapa hian midang nunah nghawng a nei nghal vek a ni. Store shelf leh sorkar office hrang hrangah a legacy a darh zau zel hi a ropui hle.
“Kevin-a chuan nunna tam tak a chhanhim tawh a, kum tam tak chhung chu nunna a chhanhim chhunzawm zel ang,” tiin a ziak a ni.
Hrilhfiahna i nawr a nih chuan, status quo vawng reng tura pawisa pe lobbyist-te hian hnehna an chang reng ang tih ngaihtuah a awlsam hle. Mahse i nun tawn hian lei theih loh rit a keng tel a ni.
“I chanchin sawi dan i thiam a nih chuan i nunah a tel ve a, chutah chuan i ti thei ang – chu thawnthu chu i sawi theih hunah chuan vanneihna i nei ang, lobbyist,” tiin Brian Wayne chuan a sawi. “Pasion leh hmangaihna tluk loh nen kan lo kal a ni.”
Wendy Hartley-i thurawn: “I rilru put hmang lantir hlau suh.” Nang leh i chhungte chunga nghawng a neih dan sawi rawh. “Thlalak hmangin mimal nghawng an neih dan entir rawh.”
“Kum ruk kalta khan mi pakhatin, ‘Hetiang khawpa ring taka i au chuan sorkarin a ngaithla ang che,’ ti ta se, ka nuih a za hle ang,” tiin Lauren Atkins chuan a sawi. “Guess what?Vote khat hian danglamna a thlen thei.Ka fapa legacy-ah hian a tel ve niin ka hria.”
Jamie Smith Hopkins hi Center for Public Integrity-a reporter a ni a, hei hi nonprofit newsroom a ni a, inthlauhna chhuitu a ni.