“Are you over weight and out of shape?” asked one ad.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking Older Adults With Asthma,” said another.
The federal government wasn’t selling diet pills, and it wasn’t seeking victims for a class action suit – it was soliciting human subjects for experiments that would expose them to air pollution.
The EPA is under fire this week after an Inspector General investigation found the agency exposed people to harmful chemicals without adequately disclosing the risks involved.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Breitbart News on Thursday he found the IG’s report “disturbing.”
Finding volunteers to participate in Environmental Protection Agency experiments is often tasked to contractors like FEFA LLC who place ads in Newspapers, around communities, and online. These ads use money lures to find individuals within specific demographics to partake in EPA studies.
Flyers calling for adult volunteers between the ages of 35 and 55 to engage in a pollution study who have metabolic syndrome. The research takes place at the Human Studies Division at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the same facility the EPA Inspector General released a critical report on.
The paper advertiser for the EPA study asks that male volunteers should have waist sizes greater than 40″ and waist sizes for females should be more than 35″ or at least a Body Mass Index greater than 30.
Another flyer for the same experiment asks, “Are you over weight and out of shape?” This particular study involves 25 hours of 3 screening visits and 4 study visits. Volunteers are told they will be compensated for their time.
Another flyer asking for adult participants between the ages of 50 and 75 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, advertises an EPA study about genetics, diet supplementation and exposure to air pollution. This particular advertisement states the total commitment to the experiment is 15 hours over a 6 to 7 week period and volunteers will be paid.
A similar ad at UNC-CH asks for non-smoking adults between 45 and 65 but with mild asthma. This pollution experiment is said to examine genetics and “requires screening and two exposures with follow up bronchoscopy.” The EPA studies website describes a bronchoscopy as a way to get a lung cell sample:
During the procedure, a doctor passes a thin tube through your nose and throat into the airways. Cells are removed either by a squirt of salt water or a gentle brushing. Before inserting the tube, the doctor will give you anesthetic to numb your nose and throat. You will get an intravenous (IV) line placed in your vein in case you need medications or fluids. After the procedure, nurses will monitor your heart rate and blood pressure. The bronchoscopy itself usually lasts about 30 minutes. But the entire procedure, including preparation and recovery time, takes about 4 hours.
The EPA also broadcasts their pitches for volunteers on the radio. The pitch goes like this:
“Are your triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar or blood pressure a little too high? Is your waist bigger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women? If you can answer yes to any of those, you could be one of 40 million Americans who might be especially sensitive to air pollutants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking volunteers like you, ages 19 to 55, to participate in research about air pollution. Those who complete the entire study may be paid as much as $1200. To find out more, call…”
The flyers and radio ads direct those who are interested to a phone number and web site: epastudies.org. The website has information where individuals can sign up or “refer a friend.”
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