1/16 CSPI Integrity in Science Watch Re: ACOEM Mold Statement & Expert Witnesses

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Center for Science in the Public Interest Integrity in Science WatchJanuary 16, 2007 The Integrity in Science Database of Scientists and Organizations With Ties to Industry can be found at: www.integrityinscience.org ACOEM Mold Review Relied on Authors Paid to Testify in Mold Suits The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine failed to disclose that its position paper on mold, which downplays the risks to human health from the minute fungi, was written by scientists who regularly testify as expert witnesses for defendants in mold lawsuits. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), two of the paper's three authors - Hardin and Bruce Kelman - are principals at a law firm paid $375 to $500 an hour as defense counsel in mold lawsuits. [Note: The above needs a correction. Hardin and Bruce Kelman are principals of an environmental financial risk management company, Veritox. Law firms pay them $375 to $500 per hour as defense experts in mold lawsuits.] The third author, Saxon of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, is paid $510 to $720 an hour for consulting and testifying in mold litigation. Two other medical societies have issued position papers on mold written, in part, by legal defense experts. Last year, Integrity in Science Watch uncovered that the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's scientific review "The Medical Effects of Mold Exposure" failed to disclose that two physician-authors, including Saxon, were insurance company defense experts. The exposé led the association's journal to strengthen its disclosure requirements.