Court Dismisses Styrene Suit

The Department of Health & Human Services can list styrene as a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen” in its biennial Report on Carcinogens, a federal judge ruled on May 15. The decision ends a lawsuit filed against HHS by the Styrene Information & Research Center, which represents styrene manufacturers, and Dart Container Corp., a manufacturer of styrene-based products. The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in June 2011, when HHS first listed styrene in the report, claiming the government relied on misleading and incomplete information. Judge Reggie B. Walton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected industry’s challenge. The report “provides a rational explanation for the Secretary’s decision to list styrene as a reasonably anticipated human carcinogen, and this explanation is adequately supported by the administrative record,” he ruled.