Chemical accidentsFurloughs hamper U.S. ability to respond to chemical disasters

Rafael Moure-Eraso, the chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) last week  warned that the agency would be unable to respond to major chemical-related disasters if the government shutdown continued.

The agency has furloughed more than 90 percent of its workers.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the board has also suspended its investigation of April explosion at a West, Texas fertilizer plant, along with other investigations of accidents around the country.

Moure-Eraso told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference that the furloughing the agency’s employees has brought the response and investigative functions of the agency to a halt. “We have no ability to respond,” he said. “And I think that is true of much of the government.”

“[The shutdown is] affecting, clearly, the public health. There’s no doubt about it,” Senator. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) told the Hill. “This shutdown is harming people.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service has furloughed about 8,000 workers, and more than 90 percent of workers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including inspectors have also been furloughed. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, told the Hill that cleanup operations have been halted at more than 500 “superfund” sites contaminated by hazardous materials. “EPA cannot verify the air we breathe and water we drink meet federal standards,” Boxer said. “This shutdown is real and it’s beginning to cut deep.”

A public meeting scheduled for late October to discuss the investigation into the West, Texas explosion has been postponed until the CSB resumes regular operations. The shutdown has delayed other CSB investigations into chemical accidents in California, Utah, Washington, and Texas.

Moure-Eraso said that the delays in investigations could threaten public safety as the agency is unable to make recommendations for prevention of similar accidents.