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

From Powerbase
Jump to: navigation, search
(shifting material on elizabeth whelan to her page)
m
Line 3: Line 3:
 
According to John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, ACSH is "an industry front group that produces PR ammunition for the food  processing and chemical industries".<ref>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.</ref> 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.<ref>Sharon Beder, "Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism", 2nd ed., Green Books, Devon, UK, 2002.</ref> ACSH stopped disclosing corporate donors in the early 1990s.<ref>"[http://www.cspinet.org/integrity/corp_funding.html Non-Profit Organizations with Ties to Industry]", Integrity in Science, Center for Science in the Public Interest, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 
According to John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, ACSH is "an industry front group that produces PR ammunition for the food  processing and chemical industries".<ref>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.</ref> 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.<ref>Sharon Beder, "Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism", 2nd ed., Green Books, Devon, UK, 2002.</ref> ACSH stopped disclosing corporate donors in the early 1990s.<ref>"[http://www.cspinet.org/integrity/corp_funding.html Non-Profit Organizations with Ties to Industry]", Integrity in Science, Center for Science in the Public Interest, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
  
−
ACSH was founded in 1978 by [[Elizabeth Whelan]], who is still its executive director, and [[Frederick Stare]].<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref> Despite the industry funding of her group, Whelan is portrayed in the mass media as an independent scientist. Martin Donohoe noted in <i>Z Magazine</i>:  
+
ACSH was founded in 1978 by [[Elizabeth Whelan]], who is still its president, and [[Frederick Stare]].<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref> Despite the industry funding of her group, Whelan is portrayed in the mass media as an independent scientist. Martin Donohoe noted in <i>Z Magazine</i>:  
  
 
: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.<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 
: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.<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
  
−
ACSH trustees and founders include [[Henry I. Miller]] of the [[Hoover Institution]] and [[Norman Borlaug]] of Texas A&amp;M University and [[Thomas DeGregori]] of the University of Houston, all well known supporters of GM crops.<ref>"[http://www.acsh.org/about/pageID.7/default.asp Trustees and Founders Circle]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref> Its advisors include [[Dennis Avery]] of the [[Hudson Institute]] who has also contributed to the many ACSH articles promoting GM and denigrating organic food.<ref>"[http://www.acsh.org/about/pageID.89/default.asp Scientific Advisors]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>  
+
==Founders, Trustees and Advisors==
 +
 
 +
ACSH trustees and founders include:<ref>"[http://www.acsh.org/about/pageID.7/default.asp Trustees and Founders Circle]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 +
 
 +
* [[Henry I. Miller]] of the [[Hoover Institution]], "who campaigned on behalf of fat substitute Olestra"<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 +
* [[Norman Borlaug]] of Texas A&amp;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".<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 +
* [[Albert Nickel]], from the PR firm [[Lyons Lavey Nickel Swift]], whose motto is “We change perceptions”<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 +
* [[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.<ref>Martin Donohoe, "[http://phsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/corporate-front-groups-abuse-of-science-z-mag.doc Corporate Front Groups and the Abuse of Science: The saga of the American Council on Science and Health]", <i>Z Magazine Online</i>, Vol. 20 No. 10, October 2007, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>
 +
 
 +
ACSH advisors include [[Dennis Avery]] of the [[Hudson Institute]] who has also contributed to the many ACSH articles promoting GM and denigrating organic food.<ref>"[http://www.acsh.org/about/pageID.89/default.asp Scientific Advisors]", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.</ref>  
  
  

Revision as of 02:01, 18 February 2009

The American Council on Science and Health, Inc. (ACSH). It describes itself as "a consumer education consortium concerned with issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment and health."[1] Its website contains a number of articles promoting GM foods and attacking organic agriculture.

According to John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, ACSH is "an industry front group that produces PR ammunition for the food processing and chemical industries".[2] 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.[3] ACSH stopped disclosing corporate donors in the early 1990s.[4]

ACSH was founded in 1978 by Elizabeth Whelan, who is still its president, and Frederick Stare.[5] 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.[6]

Founders, Trustees and Advisors

ACSH trustees and founders include:[7]

ACSH advisors include Dennis Avery of the Hudson Institute who has also contributed to the many ACSH articles promoting GM and denigrating organic food.[12]


Notes

  1. ↑ "About ACSH", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Sharon Beder, "Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism", 2nd ed., Green Books, Devon, UK, 2002.
  4. ↑ "Non-Profit Organizations with Ties to Industry", Integrity in Science, Center for Science in the Public Interest, accessed 18 February 2009.
  5. ↑ 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.
  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. ↑ "Trustees and Founders Circle", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  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. ↑ "Scientific Advisors", American Council on Science and Health, accessed 18 February 2009.
Retrieved from "https://powerbase.info/index.php?title=American_Council_on_Science_and_Health&oldid=77033"