The former industry executive has a long history of blocking protections when it comes to harmful substances.

Nancy Beck at the EPA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, November 1, 2017

Justin T. Gellerson/The New York Times/Redux

President Trump has nominated Nancy Beck, a former chemical industry official, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency tasked with protecting the public from the same toxic chemicals Beck has long defended, alongside more than 15,000 other regulated products.

Nancy Beck is a one-woman wrecking ball when it comes to protections from toxic chemicals in our food, water, and household products, says Daniel Rosenberg, the director of federal toxics policy at NRDC.

Beck, who currently serves as one of the lead political appointees for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys toxics office, has faced continual criticism over decisions that ignore science and prop up harmful substances,like asbestos and methylene chloride.Beck has driven the EPAs toxics office into a ditch, Rosenberg says. Shes rewritten rules and imposed policy decisions that make people less safethe exact opposite of what the public trusts her to do.

A federal court has in fact overturned a key Beck decision:a move that wouldve allowed the EPA to ignore the health impacts from lead and asbestos exposure.

Workers in hazmat gear clean asbestos-laden debris from a burnt home. Beck has tried to downplay the danger of asbestos exposure.

Jim Wilson/The New York Times/Redux

Recently, Beck was designated the administrations point person for responding to the crisis posed by PFASa class of harmful chemicals that now contaminates everything from our clothing and childrens toys to drinking water and even breast milk.But the administration has been hostile to publicly disclosing the extent of the health risk posed by PFAS. In 2018, the White House went as far as trying tosuppress a government studythat found EPAs current health standard is far too weak. And its response has been grudgingit has done almost nothing to address PFAS that hasnt beenspecifically mandated by Congressor compelled by overwhelming Congressional and public pressure.

The stakes are very high for consumers if Beck takes over the CPSC: The seven-year position would allow her to steer the commissions risk assessments toward industry-friendly methodswhat Rosenberg calls her specialtyand undermine state-led actions on PFAS, flame retardants, and other toxic chemicals. She would be poised to reverse the CPSCs planned rulemaking on the use of flame retardants in furniture, childrens products, and mattresses, as well as reverserecently adopted banson multiple phthalates from childrens products.

Confirming Beck would bring consumers seven years of bad luck and zero protection, says Rosenberg. If Congress cares about public healthand childrens safetydefeating this nomination is absolutely critical.

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Chemical Industry's Nancy Beck Tapped to Lead the Commission that Protects Consumers - Natural Resources Defense Council