TUCSON, Ariz., April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting older Americans with asthma, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and other maladies to volunteer for experiments. The purpose of the experiments is not to study a new treatment that might make people well. The purpose is to harm people, states the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS).

That is not what volunteers are told. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) include: "How does my participation help protect my health and the health of the planet?"

The answer given to potential volunteers is: "Thanks to people like you who have participated in studies at the Human Studies Facility, the EPA has set air pollutant regulations that help improve the health of millions of individuals every year. Your participation will help make the world a better and healthier place for us all."

The answer given to Congress about much smaller concentrations of pollutants than in the air experimental subjects will breathe was this: Any amount of the pollutants could kill people within hours. And if the toxic mixture doesn't kill you, it could give you cancer years later.

The EPA is trying to justify its draconian regulations on small particulate matter ("PM2.5")—dust—that are imposing huge costs on industries like agriculture, trucking, mining, and power generation. These costs kill American jobs and raise the cost of everything that people need.

EPA strategy is apparently to expose subjects to concentrated diesel exhaust and other pollutants, known and unknown, and watch for someone to have a heart attack, severe asthma attack, or other untoward event.

Then, EPA will calculate the "risk" of how many people might suffer such an event when exposed to a much lower concentration, multiply by the population of the U.S., and claim to "save" millions of lives.

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), chairman of the Oversight Committee of the Committee of Science, Space, and Technology, criticized the EPA for experimenting on human subjects without adequate informed consent.

"The problem is much worse than that," states AAPS executive director Jane Orient, M.D. "Harm is not just an unfortunate side effect—it is the intended effect of the experiments."

"Hurting human beings to 'protect the health of the planet' is outrageous and unethical. Experiments known to be harmful are never justified."

The EPA is in a dilemma, Orient points out. "Either it has to tell its subjects that it is trying to cause them serious harm, even death, or it has to admit that it lied to Congress about the effects of dust."

"Lying to Congress to justify a power grab is also outrageous and unethical."

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, founded in 1943 to preserve private medicine and the patient-physician relationship.

SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)