Cate Jenkins

Cate Jenkins is a chemist at the Environmental Protection Agency, best known for whistleblowing on possible health effects arising from the September 11 attacks.

Early life Jenkins survived polio in childhood. She was commended by veterans organizations for her work, as her proof that dioxin was carcinogenic allowed those who had gotten injuries from the spraying of Agent Orange to get compensation. 9/11

Background Jenkins was the first EPA official to warn of the danger of the dust at Ground Zero;

She claimed that the EPA deliberately downplayed the dangers of rubble like at 9/11 and had been doing so since the 1980s. Caustic dust causes lung damage and cancer.

Christine Todd Whitman, head of the EPA, claimed there was no health hazard from 9/11. On September 18, 2001, Whitman said, "...Their air is safe to breathe...The concentrations are such that they don't pose a health hazard...We're going to make sure everybody is safe."

No protective gear, like respirators, was worn by responders. More than two-thirds have permanent lung damage. Later that same year, representatives attempted to see if charges could be brought against Whitman; they could not. Jenkins is petite and a survivor of childhood polio; her supervisor was male and over six feet tall. Instead of reinstating her, the EPA kept Jenkins on paid administrative leave until refiling charges against her on August 27, 2013.

The MSPB ruled that the EPA could not refile charges if Jenkins established they were retaliation.

Rule-making petition In September 2011, Jenkins and PEER filed a rulemaking petition to get the EPA's corrositivity standard changed; the EPA's regulation is 10 times less stringent than those set by the UN and EU.