By John Bowden and Miranda Green - 09/26/18 09:54 AM EDT
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed the Director of the Office of Children’s Health Protection (OCHP) on administrative leave without explanation. Critics fear the move could signal a desire to close the office, which the EPA denies. Sources within the EPA claim the action is the latest attempt to undermine the Office. A multi-agency study on childhood lead exposure, undertaken by the OCHP last year, has allegedly been delayed by the Trump administration. In an interview with Mother Jones in March, Dr. William Becker, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that he was “deeply concerned” about the direction of the agency.