Difference between revisions of "American Council on Science and Health"

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ACSH has put together a website, [[Riskometer.org]], to demonstrate that the risks posed by industrial chemicals are very small compared to other risks people are exposed to, particularly smoking: "Favorite scares include ones about traces of various chemicals in the environment, and about both synthetic and natural food constituents." It argues that efforts to regulate these chemicals are inappropriate: "Such misdirection of public attention fuels unnecessary anxiety and raises the costs of consumer products for all without any proof of public benefit."<ref>"[http://riskometer.org/ Riskometer and Risk Rings]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 12 March 2009.</ref>  
 
ACSH has put together a website, [[Riskometer.org]], to demonstrate that the risks posed by industrial chemicals are very small compared to other risks people are exposed to, particularly smoking: "Favorite scares include ones about traces of various chemicals in the environment, and about both synthetic and natural food constituents." It argues that efforts to regulate these chemicals are inappropriate: "Such misdirection of public attention fuels unnecessary anxiety and raises the costs of consumer products for all without any proof of public benefit."<ref>"[http://riskometer.org/ Riskometer and Risk Rings]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 12 March 2009.</ref>  
  
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Such ranking of risks ignore factors such as whether a particular risk is taken on voluntarily (such as smoking) or involuntarily (such as occupational and environmental risks), whether there are alternatives and whether people are informed of the risks they are exposed to so they can make their own choices (as in the case of food additives).
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Such ranking of risks ignore factors such as whether a particular risk is taken on voluntarily (such as smoking) or involuntarily (such as occupational and environmental risks), possible synergistic effects of chemicals, whether there are less toxic alternatives, and whether people are informed of the risks they are exposed to so they can make their own choices (as in the case of food additives).
  
 
==Founders, Trustees and Advisors==
 
==Founders, Trustees and Advisors==

Revision as of 20:08, 4 February 2010

Foodspin badge.png This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) describes itself as "a consumer education consortium concerned with issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment and health."[1] It defends GM foods, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics and food additives. It attacks organic agriculture, media 'scares' and environmentalists who raise the alarm about chemicals.[2]

Industry funding

According to John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, ACSH is "an industry front group that produces PR ammunition for the food processing and chemical industries".[3] ACSH attacks any criticisms of corporate products as not having "a sound scientific basis". It has received funds from food processing and beverage corporations including Burger King, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, NutraSweet, Nestle USA as well as chemical, oil and pharmaceutical companies such as Monsanto, Dow USA, Exxon, Union Carbide and others.[4] ACSH stopped disclosing corporate donors in the early 1990s.[5]

ACSH was founded in 1978 by Elizabeth Whelan, who is still its president, and Frederick Stare.[6] Despite the industry funding of her group, Whelan is portrayed in the mass media as an independent scientist. Martin Donohoe noted in Z Magazine:

Dr. Whelan claims that ACSH accepts funding from corporations “as long as no strings are attached.” However, in 1982, ACSH filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit brought by the Formaldehyde Institute. The brief was paid for by Georgia-Pacific Co., a leading manufacturer of formaldehyde and a member of the Formaldehyde Institute. Georgia-Pacific paid its Washington law firm $40,000 to write the brief, which ACSH then submitted under its name. Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA.[7]

Riskometer

ACSH has put together a website, Riskometer.org, to demonstrate that the risks posed by industrial chemicals are very small compared to other risks people are exposed to, particularly smoking: "Favorite scares include ones about traces of various chemicals in the environment, and about both synthetic and natural food constituents." It argues that efforts to regulate these chemicals are inappropriate: "Such misdirection of public attention fuels unnecessary anxiety and raises the costs of consumer products for all without any proof of public benefit."[8]

Such ranking of risks ignore factors such as whether a particular risk is taken on voluntarily (such as smoking) or involuntarily (such as occupational and environmental risks), possible synergistic effects of chemicals, whether there are less toxic alternatives, and whether people are informed of the risks they are exposed to so they can make their own choices (as in the case of food additives).

Founders, Trustees and Advisors

ACSH trustees and founders include:[9]

  • Henry I. Miller of the Hoover Institution, "who campaigned on behalf of fat substitute Olestra"[10]
  • Norman Borlaug of Texas A&M University, well known supporter of GM crops.
  • Thomas DeGregori of the University of Houston, well known supporter of GM crops.
  • Alan Moghissi, "a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official who had served on a panel to challenge the EPA’s policy requiring asbestos removal from schools and other public buildings".[11]
  • Albert Nickel, from the PR firm Lyons Lavey Nickel Swift, whose motto is “We change perceptions”[12]
  • Lorraine Thelian, a senior partner at PR firm Ketchum Communications, whose clients include Dow Chemical, the Aspirin Foundation of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, and the National Pharmaceutical Council.[13]

ACSH advisors include Dennis Avery of the Hudson Institute who has also contributed to the many ACSH articles promoting GM and denigrating organic food.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ "About ACSH", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
  2. ↑ See articles at "Health Issues", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
  3. ↑ John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, "Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry", Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine, 1995, p. 189.
  4. ↑ Sharon Beder, "Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism", 2nd ed., Green Books, Devon, UK, 2002.
  5. ↑ "Non-Profit Organizations with Ties to Industry", Integrity in Science, Center for Science in the Public Interest, accessed 18 February 2009.
  6. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  7. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  8. ↑ "Riskometer and Risk Rings", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 12 March 2009.
  9. ↑ "Trustees and Founders Circle", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
  10. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  11. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  12. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  13. ↑ Martin Donohoe, "Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health", Z Magazine Online, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.
  14. ↑ "Scientific Advisors", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
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