Health

Finding a Chemical Harmless, For a Fee

by Bob Burton — February 23, 2006 - 3:58am

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.

Main Source: 
Environmental Science and Technology, February 22, 2006

Drug Company Reps Take Doctors To The Dogs, Lap-Dancing & Tennis

by Bob Burton — February 15, 2006 - 7:03pm

In late January a comedian hosting the UK Pharmaceutical Marketing Society's Annual Advertising Awards ceremony joked that "twenty years ago it was all lap dancing and champagne for the doctors. These days you're lucky if you can give them a three-star hotel and a f***ing biro." Not so, it seems.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), February 14, 2006

Inside the Tobacco Industry's Files

by Bob Burton — February 1, 2006 - 1:02am
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism, Corporations, Health, Tobacco

    • As the Center for Media and Democracy has noted, the tobacco industry pioneered many deceptive public relations tactics, casting a long shadow over science and health reporting, as well as the public's right to know.

    Before its fall from grace, tobacco industry created front groups courted journalists and obscured damning scientific evidence. But, inadvertently, the industry is now helping independent researchers and reporters understand how PR is used to obscure facts and shape public debates.

    WHO Rejects Corporate-Funded Research Institute

    by Diane Farsetta — January 30, 2006 - 12:02pm

    The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) barred the U.S.-based International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) from taking part in "WHO activities setting microbiological or chemical standards for food and water." The decision followed warnings from health, environmental and union groups, including the

    Main Source: 
    Associated Press, January 27, 2006

    Environmental Defense or Nanotech Defense?

    by Bob Burton — January 18, 2006 - 11:38am
  • Topics: Corporations, Environment, Health, International, Labor

    • If you have concerns about the development of nanotechnology, you might want to keep an eye on the 'partnership' between the chemical industry giant DuPont and Environmental Defense (ED), the New York-based environmental group.

    The project, according to a joint media release issued in October 2005 by ED's Fred Krupp and DuPont's Chad Halliday, is to "identify, manage and reduce potential health, safety and environmental risks of nano-scale materials across all lifecycle stages." Once developed, the framework will "then be pilot-tested on specific nano-scale materials or applications of commercial interest to DuPont."

    To be fair, ED has flagged concerns about there being inadequate health and environmental assessments of nanotechnologies to date. However, ED hasn't mentioned publicly what they think about DuPont and other companies having products that are already on the market without such assessments.

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