Gov. Eric Greitens picks North Carolina doctor to lead Missouri health department

The North Carolina doctor tapped by Gov. Eric Greitens to lead Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services was accused last year of downplaying the dangers of consuming well water near coal ash pits.

Randall Williams, an obstetrician and gynecologist, was officially announced Thursday afternoon as Greitens’ pick to lead the department.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Williams to our state,” Greitens said in a Facebook post. “Together, I know that we can create a health system that ensures that everyone has access to quality care, and nobody is forgotten.”

Williams previously served a year and a half as North Carolina’s public health director. Last year he was accused in a sworn deposition by a state toxicologist of telling residents living near coal ash pits that contaminated well water was safe to drink.

Coal ash is the waste material left after coal is burned. It contains arsenic, mercury, lead and more than a dozen other heavy metals.

North Carolina health officials had previously announced that more than 300 water wells near Duke Energy’s coal-burning plants were too contaminated with the heavy metals to safely use. The announcement was based on the standard that there was one chance in a million that people drinking contaminated water from the wells could develop cancer.

Under Williams’ direction, the state reversed that decision and told residents the wells were safe. Williams argued that the one-in-a-million standard was too high. He called the toxicologists’ warnings “questionable and inconsistent scientific conclusions” and noted that the well water in question met federal drinking water standards.

North Carolina’s epidemiologist resigned in protest, telling The Associated Press that Williams was misleading the public.

In October, Duke University scientists issued a report claiming that the well contamination was not because of coal ash, but rather from naturally occurring heavy metals leaching out of volcanic rock into groundwater.

Williams was appointed to his previous job in North Carolina by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who before his election worked for Duke Energy. McCrory was defeated in his re-election bid last year.

A native North Carolinian, Williams graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with honors with a double major in history and zoology. He got his medical degree from the UNC School of Medicine, where he co-founded the Students Teaching Early Prevention initiative.

He served on the North Carolina Commission for Public Health from 2004 until 2012. He also volunteered for U.S. State Department- and World Health Organization-sponsored endeavors, teaching physicians and helping with clinical governance overseas. His work has taken him to Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Haiti.

Williams’ appointment faces approval by the Missouri Senate.

Thursday morning, the Senate voted to approve the governor’s nominees to lead the departments of public safety, corrections, natural resources and agriculture, as well as his commissioner of the office of administration.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Gov. Eric Greitens picks North Carolina doctor to lead Missouri health department."