== SPIN OF THE DAY ==

[Guest guest]

== SPIN OF THE DAY ==

1. BAD DATA, AND COMPROMISED LIMITS, ON CHROMIUM

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-chromium24feb24,1,7640

474.story?coll=la-news-a_section

" This was a 10-year campaign to shape the science to fit the

industry's agenda rather than shape the regulation to fit the

science, " Professor s said of industry attempts to

avoid lower exposure limits for hexavalent chromium. In 2004, the

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed

reducing the exposure limit set in 1943 more than fifty-fold.

s and other researchers " obtained internal documents through

an industry foundation's bankruptcy proceedings that showed the

industry representatives were aware in 2002 of an elevated cancer

risk. " They found that a study commissioned by the industry group

Chrome Coalition, and carried out by ENVIRON, manipulated data to

hide increased cancer risks at all but the highest exposure levels.

Some 380,000 U.S. workers are exposed to chromium. An executive at

the company Elementis Chromium denied an " orchestrated effort to

hide anything, " but said the data " may have not been handled well. "

OSHA finally set the new chromium exposure limit at one-tenth the

old limit.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, February 24, 2006

For more information or to comment on this story, visit:

_http://www.prwatch.org/node/4505_ (http://www.prwatch.org/node/4505)

7. FINDING A CHEMICAL HARMLESS, FOR A FEE

http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/feb/business/pt_weinberg.

html

In a April 2003 pitch to DuPont, The Weinberg Group proposed a

strategy to help defuse the growing controversy over the health

impacts of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a compound used to make

Teflon. Weinberg's Vice-President of Product Defense, P.Terrence

Gaffney, said, " DuPont must shape the debate at all levels. " One of

his suggested strategies was to facilitate the " publication of

papers and articles dispelling the alleged nexus between PFOA and

teratogenicity as well as other claimed harm. " (Teratogenicity is

used to describe the damaging effects of an agent on a fetus.)

Gaffney also proposed to " develop 'blue ribbon panels' of thought

leaders on issues related to PFOA " and to " coordinate the publishing

of white papers on PFOA, junk science and the limits of medical

monitoring. " DuPont confirmed to reporter D. Thacker that they

had hired the Weinberg Group to help with " scientific third party

experts, " probably on PFOA issues.

SOURCE: Environmental Science and Technology, February 22, 2006

For more information or to comment on this story, visit:

http://www.prwatch.org/node/4493