The US Environmental Protection Agency has suspended 139 employees after they signed a scathing open letter accusing Administrator Lee Zeldin of pushing policies hazardous to both people and the planet,

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed 139 employees on administrative leave after they signed a letter critical of President Donald Trump's policies, with the EPA saying it has "zero-tolerance" for those sabotaging the government's agenda.

More than 170 EPA employees put their names to the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, according to Jeremy Berg, a former editor-in-chief of Science magazine who is not an EPA employee but was among non-EPA scientists or academics to also sign. The latter figure includes 20 Nobel laureates.