Trouble at another NIH institute

[Guest guest]

The latest in this dismaying story is the revelation that NIEHS has

cultivated an unusual working relationship with the chemical

industry, a relationship that in appearance at least, impugns NIEHS's

integrity as a source of sound scientific judgment on environmental

hazards. This story has been circulating for awhile but recently

became public with a letter from Representative Waxman in the House

and Senator Boxer in the Senate. Now that we have two party

government again with its accompanying oversight function by the

legislative branch, some of the rocks are being turned over. Here's

what's under one of them:

In 1998, the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction

was established within the National Institutes of Health to assess

the dangers of chemicals and help determine which ones should be

regulated. Sciences International, an andria, Va., consulting

firm that has been funded by more than 50 industrial companies, has

played a key role in the center's activities, reviewing the risks of

chemicals, preparing reports, and helping select members of its

scientific review panel and setting their agendas, according to

government and company documents.

The company produces the first draft of the center's reports on the

risks of chemicals, including a new one on bisphenol A, a widely used

compound in polycarbonate plastic food containers, including baby

bottles, as well as lining for food cans.

The center's work is considered important to public health because

people are exposed to hundreds of chemicals that have been shown to

skew the reproductive systems of newborn lab animals and could be

causing similar damage in humans. Chemical companies and industry

groups have staunchly opposed regulation of the compounds and have

developed their own research to dispute studies by government and

university scientists.

" It's a combination of inaccurate information and blatant bias as it

exists in its draft form, " vom Saal said. " They specifically ignore

fatal flaws in industry-sponsored publications. " He said the 300-page

report misrepresented government-funded studies that found effects by

inaccurately portraying their findings, and failed to note industry

funding of some studies cited.

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/03/trouble_at_another_nih_i

nstitu.php?utm_source=mostemailed & utm_medium=link

Donna