Several prominent activists in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement are urging President Trump to fire Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, over his decisions to loosen restrictions on harmful chemicals.
In a petition circulated on social media, the activists wrote that Mr. Zeldin “has prioritized the interests of chemical corporations over the well-being of American families and children.”
The petition was a remarkable rebuke of the E.P.A. chief from allies of another cabinet member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary and the chief architect of the MAHA movement. It underscored growing tensions within Mr. Trump’s political base over the chemicals in the nation’s air, water and food supply.
As of early Friday afternoon, more than 2,800 people had signed the petition. The organizers included Vani Hari, a MAHA influencer who is known as the Food Babe to her 2.3 million Instagram followers, and Alex Clark, the host of a health and wellness podcast popular among conservatives.
Representatives for Mr. Zeldin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Mr. Kennedy referred questions to the White House, which also did not immediately return a request for comment.
Mr. Kennedy has been a vocal critic of pesticides and other chemicals, saying they are poisoning Americans and contributing to a rise in chronic diseases. Mr. Zeldin has taken a different approach at the E.P.A., which Mr. Trump has stocked with officials who previously served as lawyers and lobbyists for the chemical industry.
Last month, the E.P.A. approved the use of two pesticides that meet the internationally recognized definition for “forever chemicals,” which are also known as PFAS and are linked to serious health risks. Mr. Zeldin has disputed the idea that the pesticides contained PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
In July, the E.P.A. proposed allowing the use of the contentious herbicide dicamba on some cotton and soybean crops. And in May, the agency said it would delay deadlines for water utilities to limit two types of PFAS present in the tap water of millions of Americans.
“If our enemies were to write a plan on how to poison Americans and prevent us from growing our own food, this would be it,” said Zen Honeycutt, the founder and executive director of Moms Across America, a group closely linked to the MAHA movement.
“Trump made a promise to the American people to address pesticides and reduce childhood chronic illnesses,” Ms. Honeycutt added. “Lee Zeldin is making a liar out of him.”
Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA influencer who goes by The Glyphosate Girl on social media, said she was initially optimistic that the Trump administration would crack down on PFAS in drinking water, since Mr. Kennedy had crusaded for clean water as the president of the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance.
Instead, the E.P.A. has given water utilities an additional two years, until 2031, to comply with a Biden administration rule limiting two types of PFAS present in drinking water systems. The agency also plans to rescind Biden-era limits on four other related chemicals found in tap water.
Known as forever chemicals because they are virtually indestructible, PFAS are a class of thousands of chemicals used in everyday products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing and stain-resistant carpets. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to decreased fertility in women, developmental delays in children and increased risk of some cancers, according to the E.P.A.
Maxine Joselow covers climate change and the environment for The Times from Washington.
The post MAHA Activists Urge Trump to Fire His E.P.A. Administrator appeared first on New York Times.
