, Pathologist,
Houston/Richmond, TX on the HealthFraud listserver].
Burger eaters: McDonald's made me do it (3/17/98) "Two all-beef patties, special
sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun -- appetizing promo or recipe for disaster?"
Beer Hops May Help Prevent Cancer (3/17/98) Just in time for St. Patty's
Day...this Bud's for cancer prevention? Of course, no mention was made of green beer!
Obesity, Health Services Use, and Health Care Costs (3/17/98) The basis for
the state attorneys general lawsuits against the tobacco industry is that smoking increases health care costs. This study says that annual health
care costs for the obese are 25 percent to 44 percent higher than for the nonobese. So will the state attorneys general next go after Ben &
Jerry's? McDonald's and Burger King? Coca-Cola?
A Possible Leap Forward on Amphibian Abnormalities (3/17/98) First, it was
chemicals. But researchers lacked evidence. Then it was ozone depletion. That theory vanished into thin air. Now it's vitamin A. Maybe frog
deformity researchers should look before they leap.
Tennessee Governor Talks of Revolt on EPA Rules (3/15/98) Tennessee Gov.
Donald Sundquist says his state should treat the proposed air quality requirements like American revolutionaries treated
British tea in the 1773 Boston Tea Party and "dump in the harbor the data that's questionable... We don't have any problem with complying
with the law... When [EPA behaves] the way a government should behave, then we'll do it." So where do we sign up?
Smokescreen (3/14/98) The World Health Organization is showing signs of
allowing politics to get in the way of the truth.
Smoking Out Bad Science (3/14/98) A Wall Street Journal --European
Edition op-ed on the controversy over the new secondhand smoke study.
Next Brochure Draft Slated for April: Food Industry Group Faults Risk Information
(3/13/98) EPA prepares to distribute a brochure scaring consumers about pesticides in food.
New Data Shows Asteroid Will Miss Earth, NASA Aays (3/13/98) Although the
one-day scare is over, asteroid mania will probably remain for a while.
Dietary Salt and Mortality (3/13/98) Another false alarm from our (un)esteemed public health researchers. This time
it's salt in food. Click here for the Associated Press story. Click here for
the Lancet study.
More on the Pheromone Study (3/13/98) Check out Mitch Alderman's back-of-
the-envelope analysis of the Nature pheromone study (reported below, 3/12/98).
Headaches from Cellular Telephones: Are They Real and What Are the Implications?
(3/12/98) I get headaches when I bang my car phone against my head after reading data-impaired articles like this.
Human Pheromones (3/12/98) Here are Washington Post and
New York Times articles about the new pheromone study published in Nature.
Highlights (lowlights?) of this converage include the Post's headline that this one study of 20 women and their menstrual periods
"proves" that people respond to others' odors. Most priceless is the claim of a Harvard researcher that "...people may want to rethink their heavy
use of soaps and perfumes... It may be... that the constant washing away or covering up of these sweaty social signals account for some of the
loneliness or depression in modern society." Hey... stop washing with soap and I guarantee you'll be alone!
Large Vehicles Are the Solution, Not the Problem (3/12/98) "If you listen to
journalists, you'd think sport-utility vehicles were more dangerous than Saddam Hussein." Here's the venerable Sam Kazman to set them
straight.
The Week That Was March 2-March 8, 1998 (3/12/98) The weekly update
from the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
EPA Increase for Climate Change Program Jeopardized by Kyoto Opposition, Lewis Says
(3/12/98) So keep that oppostiion coming!
UN Defends Dangers of Passive Smoke (3/10/98) The World Health Organization
shifts into spin-control mode.
Experts Debate Climate-Disease Link (3/10/98) I think they mean an expert debated
a hysteric.
WHO Study on Secondhand Smoke (3/9/98) Here's a report of a new secondhand
smoke study that doesn't link secondhand smoke to lung cancer. This is a developing story...
Here is Rep. Peterson's "Dear Colleague" Letter on Global Warming (3/9/98)
Rep. John Peterson's "Dear Colleague" letter that begins "It has come to my attention that an as yet unpublished, unpeer-reviewed scientific
paper claiming to have found an error in the global satellite temperature measurements has been circulated to the Administration--and possibly
leaked to the press--for the purpose of putting pressure on Congress to endorse provisions of the Global Climate Treaty..."
Cholesterol screening is not worth while (3/6/98) Just because high cholesterol
levels are associated with increased heart disease rates doesn't necessarily mean that high cholesterol will lead to heart disease. Correlation does
not equate to causation.
The Week That Was February 23-March 1, 1998 (3/5/98) The weekly update
from the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Coming Soon: The Trampoline Police (3/2/98) There is no doubt that trampolines
are dangerous and children should be supervised while using them. But this researcher says home use of trampolines by children and the sale
of trampolines for recreational use should be banned. Hasn't this researcher overstepped his bounds? Do researchers do
science or set public policy?
Researchers Find Difference in Gays (3/2/98) You won't believe your ears!
U.S. Asthma Rate Doubles (3/2/98) Asthma rates continue to diverge with air
pollution levels.
Follow-up on Secondhand Smoke and Asthma in Kids (3/2/98) A recent study claimed in young children exposed
to secondhand smoke, about 50 percent of the asthma cases are attributable to secondhand smoke. After I critiqued the study, Harvard's Ellis Neufeld tried to intimidate the TASSC board into repudiating my critique
(See below "Harvard Physician Tries to Intimidate TASSC Board (2/24/98)". Now an article in the British Medical
Journal (February 21, 1998) titled "ABC of Allergies: the Epidemiology of Allergic Disease" comes to the Junkman's defense. The article
states: (1) "More than 80 percent of asthma exacerbations in children are of viral origin. This epidemiological observation equates well with
most clinical experience..." and (2) "Smoking is an important risk factor for bronchial hyperreactivity--a feature of asthma--but its association
with asthma remains uncertain." As I said earlier, adults shouldn't smoke in front of children--but junk science isn't necessary to make this point.
Scientists Cast Doubts on Dolly (2/28/98) The latest on the
Is-Dolly-just-like-cold-fusion controversy.
Slippery claims about salamanders (2/27/98) A Mike Gough op-ed on the
deformed amphibian hysteria.
Bad science only makes bad laws (2/27/98) An Ellen Goodman op-ed.
Paying Up For Global Warming (2/27/98) President Clinton wants to spend
billions on global warming projects.
Prawns/Shrimp Farming: AAAS Symposium Report
(2/26/98) Fun facts to know-and-tell.
Tap Water and Miscarriage (2/26/98) About two weeks ago, researchers reported that tap water consumption was
associated with miscarriage. No one could critique their studies at the time because the studies hadn't yet been released. Now I know why they
held their press conference before the studies were published. Click here for the
editorial accompanying the studies, which lays them out for what they are--junk science. If you still want to read the two studies click here for one and here for the other.
Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Disease (2/25/98) Michael Lebowitz and Joel Schwartz go at it in
dueling letters to the editor of Epidemiology.
Reg Reformers Learn To Crawl Before They Walk
(2/25/98) Regulatory reform is beginning to heat up again.
Court Grants Summary Judgment for Dow Agrosciences in Dursban Suit
(2/25/98) Another victory in the junk science wars.
The Week That Was February 16-22, 1998 (2/25/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
A View of the New Radon Report (2/24/98) Last week, the National Research
Council released the latest report on radon. Here's what a member of the Texas Radiation Advisory Board thinks of it. Click
here for the executve summary of the NRC report known as "BEIR VI."
Media Bias in Action (2/24/98) Former ABC correspondent Bob Zelnick says
his views on Vice President Gore's environmental positions led to his demise at the network.
One Thousand Kids Per Day?(2/24/98) A letter to the Medical Association of
Georgia from a Georgia health care provider.
Harvard Physician Tries to Intimidate TASSC Board (2/24/98) Real-life skullduggery! Click
here for a letter in which Harvard's Ellis Neufeld tries to get the TASSC Advisory Board to repudiate
an editorial on this page. Click here for the Junkman's response. Click
here for the Junk Science Home Page piece in question. And click
here for the article on Neufeld's own study previously "savaged" by the Junkman.
Brain Shrinkage More Rapid in Men Than in Women
(2/24/98) While I think they're jumping the gun here a bit (actually a lot!), could this be why more junk science comes from men
than women?
Just in case you were worrying...don't! (2/24/98) In 1989 and 1990, two ecologic (i.e., demographic) studies from
the U.K. linked residential radon with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But a new case-control study published in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute (February 18, 1998) failed to confirm the prior hypothesis. And yes, I know, this is simply another case of junk science
debunking junk science...
Risk Factors for Mortality (2/24/98) In this recent letter to the Associated Press
medical editor, I wrote that mortality is a complex event. Here's a new study that sheds
some light on this complexity.
Very Low Fat Diets May Harm Some People (2/21/98) Look for the quote from
the chairman of the American Heart Association's nutrition committee acknowledging that epidemiologic studies can't predict risk for
individuals.
Dolly the Sheep was a Clone, Edinburgh Scientist Maintains (2/21/98) Dolly's
"dad" responds... but not very convincingly.
Radon: Beating a Dead Horse (2/18/98) The radon alarmists hold a press
conference to say as many as 21,800 die annually of radon-induced lung cancer. Unfortunately, no body of epidemiology supports this body
count. It is simply the product of numerous and compounded, unsubstantiated assumptions and extrapolations--already discussed elsewhere on
this page.
Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer? (2/19/98) Click here for an article
on the meta-analysis attempting to make this link. Click here for my view.
Studies Doubt Sunscreens Stop a Cancer (2/18/98) Burned again?
The Week That Was February 9-15, 1998 (2/18/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Judge Backs Use of Neutral Experts (2/17/98) Supreme Court Justice Breyer's
comments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Man Who Cloned Sheep May Try Again (2/17/98) The best way to ward off
accusations of junk science.
Walk, Dont' Run (2/15/98) The Associated Press runs with a story on walking.
Reassessing Kyoto Agreement, Scientists See Little Environmental Advantage
(2/14/98) Even the enviros don't think the Kyoto Accord will accomplish anything.
Apocalypse Maybe (2/14/98) Another op-ed about Julian Simon.
Water Coincidence? (2/12/98) EPA proposes labeling for tap water on the same day as a new study linking tap water
to miscarriage is trumpeted. I won't critique the study until I get a copy of it. (But these studies linking tap water to health problems tend to
be junk!) In the meantime, click here for the AP report on the study.
Frogs and Fungicides (2/12/98) Pay attention to the last paragraph of this
Reuters story. Should the publication in question be renamed the New Junk Scientist? Thanks to Dave Cagnolatti for
the story.
MOG: States, EPA Colluded on NOx Rule (2/12/98) Hillary's worried about
the right-wing conspiracy. But how about this one?
After 2 Years of Market Tests, Olestra Products Going National (2/11/98) Here's
a news article on what's happening with the new fat substitute Olestra. Beware, though. The article opens up with an anecdote about Olestra
allegedly causing digestive problems in a child. But scientific studies, to date, report no increase in digestive problems, including one recently
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Also, the article gives the impression that Olestra prevents absorption
of vitamins. But Olestra has been engineered not to do this. For more information on the product, visit
the manufacturer's product information page.
Malthus, Watch Out (2/11/98) Julian Simon, wager of intellectual war on
environmetnalists, dies.
An Empty Uniform (2/11/98) Do we really need a Surgeon General? Read this
Wall Street Journal op-ed by Mike Gough and Steve Milloy.
Coffee Culprit in Cot Death (2/11/98) This press release from the Archives
of Disease in Childhood announces a study reporting that heavy caffeine intake during pregnancy increases the risk of SIDS by 100
percent. The researchers theorize that caffeine has a stimulant effect on infants in utero. When this stimulant is removed "the baby's
respiratory drive may be inadequate to withstand infection or other stressors." I dunno... sounds like their theory really implicates the
unidentified "infection" and "other stressors"--not caffeine.
The Right to Research (2/11/98) A "news" article on the data access issue. Do
researchers have the right to hide their data? Is "secret science" acceptable?
Swedish Breast Implant Study (2/10/98) A new study finds no association between silicone breast implants and
connective tissue disease. Click here for the abstract. Click here for the accompanying editorial.
Dire Warnings About Obesity Rely on a Slippery Statistic (2/10/98) A great
Wall Street Journal article about a bogus body count!
Biological Archaeology (2/10/98) Two "finds" in the news this week. Click here for the isolation of the 1918 flu virus from a frozen corpse in Alaska. Click here for news on the oldest known HIV infection.
The Week That Was February 1-8, 1998 (2/10/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Flu Outbreaks at Epidemic Levels (2/10/98) In case you didn't already know.
Now that's a public health problem.
France Has More Early Deaths Than Britain (2/10/98) More evidence of the French
paradox?
Ethics Flew the Koop? (2/5/98) In August 1994, President Clinton granted former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop a
waiver for burial at Arlington Cemetery--about the same time that Koop agreed to shill for the White House's plan to bureaucratize the nation's
health care system. Koop needs a waiver because he does not qualify for burial at Arlington--an honor reserved for long-serving and
highly-decorated military heroes. Koop has no military service. Isn't it nice to know that the former Surgeon General was willing
to sell out public health for a burial plot? (Note: On February 5, 1998, Koop ceded his Arlington rights.)
The Regulatory Hydra (2/5/98) An Investor's Business Daily op-ed
on the costs of federal regulation.
Bomb Fallout and Thyroid Cancer: Statistical Sheep in Real
Wolves'
Clothing (2/5/98) Thanks to Russ Brown for this analysis.
Laxatives and Cancer (2/5/98) Last year the FDA forced the laxative Ex-Lax--the most effective over-the-counter laxative
product--off the shelves because of some animal studies. Click
here for the abstract of
a new study of humans (not animals) that contradicts the FDA action.
Federal Activities on MCS (2/5/98) Stay up-to-date with federal government
activities on multiple chemical sensitivity with this press release from an MCS advocacy group.
Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes? (2/4/98) Last year, researchers claimed to have cloned the sheep known as
"Dolly." This event created quite a stir over the prospects of human cloning. Click here for a letter
from scientists who now question whether the "cloning" actually occurred. Click here for a related
news article.
EPA Budget for Sound Science (2/4/98) In its proposed budget released this week, the EPA's line item for "sound
science" (whatever that is at EPA!) is taking a hit, down from $404 million to $367 million. The budget for the (junk science) line item
"Emerging Risk Issues" is increasing from $48 million to $55 million. Emerging risk issues includes the endocrine disrupters issue and
something called the "One Atmosphere Program"--research into the reputed "toxic soup of chemicals" that is our atmosphere.
Of Apples and Alar (Cont'd) (2/4/98) A continuation of the recent debate in the
Washington Post on alar. If you missed the start, check below for the January 15, 1998 article titled "Ever-vigilant Enviros."
Advisory Panel Draft Report Proposes Screening Six Mixtures, Some Polymers
(2/4/98) The testing of potential "endocrine disrupters" is moving ahead. But shouldn't a public health problem be identified first?
Secondhand Smoke and Asthma in Kids (2/4/98) Adults shouldn't smoke around
children. But you don't need junk science to make the point.
Whole Hog for Whole Math (2/3/98) A Wall Street Journal op-ed
spotlighting a problem with science/math education.
Groups Blast Hospital Association for Taking Advice From Pro-Incineration Consultant
(2/3/98) That headline from BNA's Daily Environment Report would be more accurate if it read "Enviros
Blast Hospital Association for Taking Advice From Incineration Expert." And what's wrong with that? Exactly who should the
hospital association consult?
Environmental Working Group Terrorism (1/29/98) Click here for the
latest scare from the Environmental Whacko Group. Click here for some balance.
Entering the Century of the Environment: A New Social Contract for Science
(1/29/98) From Science magazine, this article should be subtitled "A New Social Contract on Science."
Frog Deformities (1/29/98) A letter to the editor of Science magazine
on the frog deformities controversy.
If the Climate Changes, It May Do So Fast, New Data Show (1/28/98) Check
out this quote from this New York Times article: "The climate system is an angry beast and we are poking it with sticks," said Dr.
Wallace Broecker, of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who was one of the first to raise the alarm about abrupt climate
change. "We don't know whether it's going to pay attention to the pokes. But if it does, it might rise up and do something we don't like." The
climate is an "angry beast?" This is science-talk?!
Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Claims, Finds No Exposure, Contamination Evidence
(1/28/98) Another junk science-fueled lawsuit bites the dust!
State High Court Denies Review of Case Arguing Toxic Warning Law Unconstitutional
(1/28/98) California's statutory junk science -- also known as Proposition 65 -- survives a legal challenge.
The Week That Was January 19-25, 1998 (1/27/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
EPA Denies Industry Petition to Remove Phosphoric Acid from Toxics Release List
(1/26/98) While reading this article, keep a couple of things in mind. Phosphoric acid is a generally-recognized-as-safe food
additive. It's in every can of soda. Yet EPA insists on keeping phosphoric acid listed on the "Toxics Release Inventory." And while EPA
maintains that industrial discharges of phosphoric acid contribute to eutrophication of waterways, the agency does not have even one example
of where this has occurred.
Racial Health Gap Continues, Studies Say (1/26/98) Click here for the
New York Times article. But what's the big surprise? Consider the EPA's racist regulation. Click here for an article describing how EPA is taking asthma inhalers away from poor children. Click here for an article describing how EPA is ignoring a potential major cause of asthma for inner city children.
Click here for an article describing how the EPA is taking money out of the pockets out of poor
blacks.
Science Triumphant? Not So Fast (1/25/98) Click here for the New
York Times op-ed that set off this fury of letters to the editor.
Northeast states con EPA to shift blame for failure to control air pollution
(1/24/98) Does li'l ol' West Virginny PO-llute the EN-tire Northeast?
Ironies grown in Kyoto (1/24/98) Fred Singer opines on the Kyoto Accord.
No Easy Fix For Kyoto Mandates (1/24/98) Al Gore (near-future president?)
claims the global warming treaty can be implemented painlessly with the help of technology. But is this so?
CalPIRG Tries to Scare Californians About Pesticides in Schools (1/22/98) Click here for the CalPIRG report. Click here for the
response by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Bunk Bed Safety Bunko (1/22/98) The Consumer Product Safety Commission
goes after bunk beds. But how much of a hazard are they? Are we becoming the "Nanny States of America?"
A Few Drinks A Day Can Add Years To Life, Studies Show (1/22/98) Here's
to your health!
Cancer is a disease of aging (1/22/98) So says the National Cancer Institute.
Here's a pie chart.
Parlez-vous junk science? (1/21/98) Greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft have had a negligible impact on atmospheric
pollution and climate change, and little evidence is available to suggest this will change according to a new report on the enironmental impact
of aviation released on January 14, 1998 by the French Academy of Sciences. But don't get me wrong. I don't disagree with the study's
conclusions (except to the extent they assume that human-influenced global warming is occurring). But this is a clear-cut example of why the
Europeans were so strongly for the Kyoto Accord. It's about economic competitiveness. And the Europeans, by issuing this report, hope they
can extricate Airbus Industrie -- the lucrative European consortium that manufacturers commerical airliners -- from global warming hysteria.
Oui, je parle junk science.
The Missing Lynx (1/21/98) When is an endangered species not really an endangered
species?
Spurious Precision? Meta-analysis of Observational Studies (1/21/98) Used
by EPA to convict secondhand smoke of causing lung cancer, meta-analysis is subject to misuse. Here's a good article from the British
Medical Journal about its use.
New Study Contradicts Link Between Outdoor Air and Asthma. A new study in the British Medical Journal
concludes that climate, diet and outdoor environment are not the main determinants of asthma prevalence. Click
here for the abstract. Now tell me again why the EPA issued new outdoor air quality standards
that will cost us in excess of $100 billion per year?
Cloning Research (1/21/98) Cloning has nothing to do with junk science, but it is a fascinating topic. This
Washington Post article reports the FDA intends to regulate cloning research. But this
Wall Street Journal editorial suggests that would-be regulators tread gently.
The Week That Was January 12-19, 1998 (1/21/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Dietary Regulation the Next Fed Fad (1/21/98) An op-ed from the one-and-only
Jacob Sullum.
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/20/98) Is the public health bureaucracy prepared
for an influenza epidemic/pandemic?
Junk Science Offers Competitive Advantage (1/20/98) Take a page from the
hazardous waste incineration industry playbook and make junk science work for your business, too.
Reporting on Science (1/18/98) This letter-to-the-editor of the New York
Times lays out problem of science and the media pretty well. But the author is wrong that government-funded science doesn't suffer the
same need for attention-grabbing headlines. After all, headlines create political pressure that's relieved by spending taxpayer money.
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/18/98) The DNA is sequenced and the Mainland
is ruled out as a source... or is it?
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/17/98) The flu spreads to ducks and geese.
New Research Shakes Theory Of Life on Mars (1/17/98) I thought the
life-on-Mars business was overblown from the beginning. The more they look at that rock, the more it becomes just a rock. Click
here for my original take on the Mars rock. Click here for
a subsequent update.
Public Policy Group Says Bureaucracy Puts Public Health at Risk (1/16/98)
Bill Clinton and Republicans in Congress want to increase the NIH budget. Let's make sure we're getting our money's worth first.
Chicken Little Gets the Flu (1/16/98) Michael Fumento's take on the Hong
Kong flu.
Extending Cells' Life (1/15/98) I'm as excited as anyone about the prospect that
scientists have figured out a way to extend cell life. The potential for this technology is tremendous. But I'm just a little suspicious that this
particular result has been somewhat oversold. After all, science-by-press conference is often junk science. Benefits from the technology are more
than five years away. In the meantime, the only people who will profit are Geron shareholders who saw their stock value increase 45 percent
today alone.
General Motors Sells Out on Global Warming (1/15/98) Here's the press release
announcing that General Motors will be playing footsie with the World Resources Institute on global warming. What's next? Bill Gates weds
Janet Reno? More seriously, expect GM (and other car companies) to cave completely on global warming, passing along the increased costs
to consumers. Is this "race-to-the-bottom" behavior what made America a great country?
Ever-vigilant Enviros (1/15/98) In a moment of lucidity on January 5, 1998, the Washington Post briefly
mentioned in an editorial that the alar scare was unfounded. One week later, the Post
published a letter-to-the-editor from enviro-hysterics Philip Landrigan and David Rall that alar
was, in fact, dangerous. What Phil and Dave left out was that alar was only dangerous to the laboratory mice who were fed alar
in amounts tens of thousands of times higher than humans would ever ingest.
Weather and Politics (1/15/98) An Investor's Business Daily editorial
on NOAA's efforts to paint 1997 as the warmest year on record.
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/15/98) A couple news items and the flu's toll to date.
The Week That Was January 5-12, 1998 (1/15/98) The weekly update from
the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Dr. S. Fred Singer Writes the Washington Post (1/15/98) A few
facts on how hot 1997 was.
Urban
Heat-Island Effect (1/14/98) After correcting for the urban
heat-island effect, the years around 1940 emerge as the warmest this century.
But don't take my word for it. Check out the graph in the Science and
Environmental Policy Project's recent press release on whether 1997 was the warmest year on record.
Against Nature (1/14/98) Check out this
transcription of the recent British television program Against Nature. It exposes the absence of scientific rigor
behind global warming; contrasts densely populated, industrialized First World countries (much hated by the Greens), which have clean
air, clean water and long life expectancies, with sparsely populated, largely pre-industrial countries (much loved by the Greens), which
have polluted water, terrible air and far shorter life expectancies; exposes the myth of overpopulation and points to the barbarism
and racism of environmentalist plans to reduce population levels in the Third World; and identifies environmentalism as the new enemy of
science, taking over from religion. It argues that Green scaremongering about genetics and fertility has led to valuable scientific
research being stopped.
Yet Another Startling Obesity Study (1/13/98) For the second time in 1998, a study says obesity is not a great risk
for premature death. No significant increase in risk of premature death was observed for those moderately overweight. A doubling
of the risk of premature death was noted only in those grossly overweight (a risk still less than hitherto assumed!). [Source: American
Journal of Epidemiology 1998;147:42-48.] For prior articles, check out the following stories listed below: "The Fat's in the Fire, Again
(1/11/98);" "Medical Journal Editors Courageous in Controversial Obesity Editorial (1/7/98);" and "Obesity and Premature Mortality (1/1/98)."
Secondhand Smoke and Progression to Atherosclerosis (1/13/98) More
secondhand smoke piling-on.
Unprotected Logic? (1/13/98) (1/3/98) An Australian study of the sexual behavior of homosexual men reports that
those who were HIV positive were more likely than others to have unprotected anal sex. The explanation is that HIV positive men sought out
positive partners for unprotected sex. But, as the report points out, this is faulty rationale because the men run the risk of infection with a
different strain of HIV or (re)infection with drug resistant strains of HIV. [Source: AIDS Care 1997;9:637-649].
Meta-analysis: Bias in Location and Selection of Studies
(1/13/98) Meta-analysis
is the statistical technique used most notably by EPA to cook up its risk assessment of secondhand smoke. Here's a British Medical
Journal article on some of the problems that plague meta-analysis.
Malnutrition: An Invisible Crisis (1/13/98) (1/3/98) The 1998 United Nations Children's Fund report titled "State
of the World's Children" says that malnutrition is implicated in more than half of all deaths in children worldwide. [Source: British
Medical Journal 1998;316:8 (January 3, 1998)]. I wonder how many kids could be fed if the U.N. spent its money on feeding children
instead of cooking up the bogus problem of global warming?
The Fat's in the Fire, Again (1/11/98) The New York Times' Gina
Kolata covers the current obesity controversy.
Really "Risky" Times (1/11/98) Nationally syndicated columnist George Will on
risk.
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/11/98) A new snippet from the ProMed server.
Was 1997 the Hottest Year on Record? (1/10/98) That's what they're saying at NOAA. But did they ignore the urban
heat-island effect? And Dr. S. Fred Singer says the satellite temperature data shows 1997 was a rather cool year. Click here for a revealing press release from Singer's Science and Environmental Policy Project. Click here for a hack-job by Joby Warrick of The Washington Post. Click here for the AP's hack job.
Hong Kong Flu Update (1/10/98) News snippets from the ProMed server.
Diet-Pill Litigation Finds Courts Frowning on Mass Settlements (1/9/98) Are
junk science-fueled class action lawsuits an endangered species?
Medical Journal Editors Courageous in Controversial Obesity Editorial (1/7/98) In this press
release, former surgeon general C. Everett Koop attacked New England Journal of Medicine editors Jerome Kassirer and
Marcia Angell. In this press release, TASSC comes to their defense.
New Saccharin Study (1/7/98) A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (January
7, 1998) reports that nonhuman primates (monkeys) fed 5-10 times the allowable daily intake of saccharin for humans did not develop urinary
tract cancer. Ironically, this study follows a National Toxicology Program panel's refusal to delist saccharin as
a carcinogen. Does the NTP panel know something we don't? Nah... they just can't admit they've been wrong about saccharin all along.
Fish Consumption and Sudden Cardiac Death (1/7/98) This Harvard study says
that eating fish once a week reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death. But hold on. The accompanying editorial says the study "does not provide clear cut answers." Go with the skeptics.
How DNA-repair Pathways May Affect Cancer Risk (1/6/98) Here's one
possible explanation for why "less than 20 percent of cigarette smokers develop lung cancer."
Specialist Links Brain Tumors to Mobile Phones (1/6/98) In 1982, the rate
of brain tumors among Australian males was 6.4 per 100,000; for females it was 4.0 per 100,000. A decade later the rates increased by about
50 percent to 9.6 per 100,000 for males and 6.5 per 100,000 for females. And in a letter to the Medical Journal of Australia, cancer
"specialist" Andrew Davidson "conjectured" that the rise was attributable to the increase in mobile phone use during the 1980s. But it is
fundamental that correlations aren't causation. If they were then the rise could also be attributed to the increase in use of personal computers.
To take a line from the Foster's Lager commercials, is this Australian for "junk science?"
The Week That Was December 29, 1997-January 3, 1998 (1/6/98) The weekly
update from the Science and Environmental Policy Project.
Hong Kong Flu Update III (1/4/98) The May 1997 contingency plans for the
Hong Kong flu.
Concerns Regarding Announced Anthrax Vaccinations: Lack of Demonstrated
Safety and Efficacy (1/4/98) Should U.S. troops be vaccinated against anthrax?
Hong Kong Flu Update II (1/4/98) Another person gets the flu and the chicken
slaughter is botched.
A Pittance for Malaria (1/4/98) Al Gore is worried about an alleged global
warming-induced epidemic of malaria 50 years from now. Earth to Ozone Al...
Why Hong Kong's `Bird Flu' Signals a Serious Threat (1/4/98) We don't know
for sure whether the Hong Kong flu is a serious threat, but this article is a good primer on the flu.
You don't have to be too smart to be a CEO (1/3/98) In the US Airways in-flight magazine Attaché (December
1997), Chairman and CEO Stephen M. Wolf offered an essay about global warming titled "Global Portent." He (or one of his staff) wrote "If
there is an increase of six degrees in average temperatures -- the upper range currently projected for the next century -- 'the heat alone in North
American cities... will result in an excess of deaths, especially in elderly people who do not adapt well to severe warmth.'" Excuse me, but...
has this guy ever been to South Florida, where (as the old joke goes) the average height is six-feet-under? I know US Airways flies to Miami
and Ft. Lauderdale. Maybe he ought to check out an early-bird dinner in Hallandale.
Michele Rokke's Undercover Life For Animal Rights (1/3/98) Read this
Washington Post article for the depths to which one extremist organization (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) goes to
advance its cause. Doesn't PETA's dishonesty only underscore the bankruptcy of its ideas?
Hong Kong Flu Update I (1/3/98) Hysteria and a little skullduggery? Click here
for an update from the Hong Kong Department of Health. Click here for a comment by Colorado
State microbiologist Charles H. Calisher on the hysteria aspect. Click here for news that Chinese
authorities "failed to report" (or covered up?) the deaths from the disease of 1.7 million chickens in February/March 1997.
Obesity and Premature Mortality (1/1/98) A new study challenges conventional wisdom on the relationship between obesity
and premature death. Click here for the study's (understated) abstract. Click here for Gina Kolata's New York Times article explaining the new controversy. Click
here for the accompanying New England Journal of Medicine editorial. And click here for the Junkman's insight on how this study exposes the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the
U.S. public health establishment.
