Remembering Dr. Norman Borlaug
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Sunday, September 13, 2009
Norman Borlaug, Nobel Laureate, Green Revolution pioneer, and a founding Director of the American Council on Science and Health in 1978, died this weekend, at age ninety-five. Norman, by dramatically increasing the world's food supply, is credited with saving over one billion lives. His early work in Mexico on developing and cultivating high-yielding wheat, resistant to weather conditions and other external threats, turned that country from a wheat importer to a wheat exporter in just a   Read Full >>

Julia Child vs. Meryl Streep
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Saturday, August 29, 2009
In a recent, totally outrageous interview published in the UK paper The Telegraph, actress Meryl Streep, star of Julie & Julia, maligns and misrepresents the real-life version of the character she plays, famed chef Julia Child.And in the process she defames the organization I head up, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).Ms. Streep actually calls Julia Child "a pawn of big business." You can hardly get more outrageous than that.I knew Julia Child.   Read Full >>

NYT Terrifies Over "Weed Killers" in Water
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Saturday, August 22, 2009
All the news that's fit to scare. That was the thrust of this weekend's New York Times article by Charles Duhigg entitled "Toxic Waters: Debating Just How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass." As president of the American Council on Science and Health, I have been following environmental and health media articles for some three decades -- seeing how they measure up in terms of   Read Full >>

Mount Sinai's Scare Campaign (and John Stossel's reaction)
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Wednesday, August 19, 2009
ACSH's view on this issue was noted by John Stossel on his blog today:It is nothing new for junk science to make it onto the New York Times op-ed page. But some agendas are so far outside the mainstream they have to buy their way onto the page. That's what the Mount Sinai School of Medicine did in buying a platform for their Dr. Philip Landrigan, an activist who has   Read Full >>

NY Soda Tax: All Politics, No Science
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Thursday, January 29, 2009
Aiming to combat the obesity epidemic in New York, Gov. David Paterson has recommended an 18% tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks and a few other sweetened beverages. Unfortunately, the proposed tax is inconsistent with the facts about what causes obesity. It also sets an alarming precedent for taxing foods deemed "bad" by government officials -- further increasing the cost of living in the state -- particularly for the least affluent citizens.•First, there is no scientific basis   Read Full >>

Cigarette Smoking and the Church's "Pro-Life" Position
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Tuesday, January 29, 2008
This week's announcement by Philip Morris that it plans a "global blitz" to dramatically increase the number of cigarette smokers around the world represents the ultimate public health nightmare.The industry's insidious strategies to modify cigarettes to meet changing cultural and social needs will add to the allure of this inherently dangerous product: the soon-to-be-launched "Marlboro Intense" will allow smokers to cope with indoor smoking bans by taking quick,   Read Full >>

Opposing ABC's Anti-Vaccine/Autism Propaganda Show
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Today, I sent the following letter to Renée R. Jenkins, M.D., of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who led the effort to chastise ABC for its plan to air an episode of its new lawyer drama, Eli Stone, this Thursday, in which anti-vaccine zealots who think vaccines cause autism are valorized:Dear Dr. Jenkins,We are writing to congratulate you on your bold, science-based statement regarding the premiere episode of the new drama series Eli Stone on ABC.We at the American   Read Full >>

Two Types of Cigarettes, One for Teens, Both Stupid
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Monday, October 22, 2007
This morning's New York Times op-ed "A Two-Cigarette Society" by attorney David G. Adams made me think I was reading The Onion. Adams argued that we should have two types of cigarettes, one with and one without nicotine. He is proposing that we start young adults out on nicotine-free cigarettes, so they don't get hooked. What were they thinking at the Times editorial page when they published this scientific atrocity? Let us see if I understand this: We should   Read Full >>

Protect Yourself from Terrorism
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Monday, September 10, 2007
With the sixth anniversary of terrorist attacks approaching, it is easy to feel helpless and scared about what some believe to be an inevitable future attack. But there are things you can do to protect yourself:1. Keep your ears and eyes open. Report any suspicious behavior. Watch for unusually dressed people (long sleeves or overcoat on a warm day) or people wearing protective gear. Look out for unattended packages.2. If you find yourself inside a building in the vicinity of an explosion   Read Full >>

He Saved a Billion Lives (from the Washington Times)
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Publication Date : Friday, July 20, 2007
This piece first appeared on July 18, 2007 in the Washington Times:Could there be a man alive today who is virtually unknown to the vast majority of Americans yet is described by those who know his work and accomplishments as "the greatest human being who ever   Read Full >>