Stupak Investigates Suppression of Health Report

An investigation into the withholding of a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that demonstrates a possible correlation between pollution in the Great Lakes and health issues such as cancer and infant mortality rates was launched last week.

The report was completed in July 2007, following several years of work and extensive scientific peer review. According to a recent article by the Center for Public Integrity, officials at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration, a division of the CDC, blocked the study's publication. The report is titled "Public Health Implications of Hazardous Substances in the 26 U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern."

"With a mission to promote health and prevent disease, CDC has an obligation to share the results of this report with the American public," said U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (DMenominee), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, February 28. "More than nine million people living in 26 'areas of concern' along the Great Lakes are at risk of higher rates of infant mortality, cancer, and other illnesses, yet it appears CDC has made a concerted effort to conceal this information."

In a letter to CDC, Mr. Stupak and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Dearborn) asked that the Great Lakes report be published.

Michigan's First Congressional District, which Mr. Stupak represents, has more shoreline, 1,613 miles, than any other congressional district in the continental United States. The district is the only congressional district that borders three of the five Great Lakes. Five of the "areas of concern" identified in the report are located in Mr. Stupak's district. They are: Menominee River area (Menominee County, and Marinette County, Wisconsin); Manistique River area in Schoolcraft County; Deer Lake area in Marquette County; Torch Lake area in Houghton County, and Saginaw River and Bay area in Arenac, Bay, Clare, Genesee, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Iosco, Isabella, Lapeer, Livingston, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee and Tuscola counties.

The letter to CDC also requests information on events surrounding the alleged suppression of the study. According to the article by the Center for Public Integrity, the Great Lakes report's chief author, Dr. Christopher De Rosa, was demoted after working to see the Great Lakes Report released to the public.

"The health challenges facing these Great Lakes communities will not go away by ignoring the facts," Mr. Stupak said. "This report could be a valuable tool as federal, state, and local governments allocate resources for Great Lakes clean-up efforts. In addition to seeking immediate publication of the report, we intend to determine through our investigation who at CDC made the decision to withhold the report and whether the author was penalized for advocating for its publication."