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 Alexandria, 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