Articles: Science Under Fire
I've written a fair amount about the way science is misused and distorted—how politicians pressure scientists to provide the answers they want, or how companies suppress scientific results they don't like or seek to manufacture an alternative body of evidence. Done honestly, science is the best tool we have to understand the natural world. But it's not always done honestly, and sometimes even science needs a little sunshine.
Beset by Lawsuits, IBM Blocks a Study That Used Its Data, Science
Lawyers for former IBM chip-manufacturing workers commissioned a study that showed that working at IBM's chip-making facilities raised cancer risks. IBM blocked it from being used in court.
Authors Turn up Heat Over Disputed Article, Science
Researchers tried to publish a legally embattled study of cancer risk among former IBM workers in a special journal issue on occupational cancer risk, but the publisher rejected it. Other researchers pulled their papers in protest.
Research on Secondhand Smoke Questioned, Science
A Swiss researcher whose research exonerated secondhand smoke spent thirty years on the payroll of Philip Morris, critics and documents allege.
Critics See a Tilt in CDC Science Panel, Science
Critics accuse the Bush administration of loading science advisory committees to get the answers it wants.
NIEHS Scientist Receives a 'Gag Order', Science
A veteran government scientist who tested cancer-causing chemicals said he was ordered by his supervisors not to publicly criticize his employer, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
HHS Intervenes in Choice of Study Section Members, Science
A grants-review panel on occupational safety has become the latest body to feel the scrutiny of the Bush Administration.
Overhaul of CDC Panel Revives Lead Safety Debate, Science
Just as an advisory committee began looking at evidence for setting a stricter lead-exposure standard, it got reorganized.