ACSH > Health Issues > Browse by Date

NYC Food Cops' National Agenda (from New York Post)

Posted: Sunday, September 14, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. The willful blindness of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- its overcautious reluctance to approve new drugs -- has led to historic declines in new drug approvals, which will cost lives in years to come. A more immediate tragedy, though, is FDA's refusal to withdraw its off-putting "black-box" warning label on antidepressants for teens...

Alarmist and Unscientific Claims on Toy Safety (from the Denver Post)

Posted: Monday, September 8, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan. If the city Health Department gets its way, government officials -- local, state and federal -- will soon be deciding what you can and can't eat...

August

Worried About Vaccine Fears (from the Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Saturday, August 30, 2008

By Jeff Stier. Vague feelings should not form the basis of government bans...

Soy Hypocritical (from the Washington Times)

Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. It would be impossible to get unanimity on any medical topic. But all pediatric and vaccine experts, as well as all federal health officials, advocate vaccination of preteen and young teen girls against human papilloma virus...

No Quick Fast-Food Fixes (from the Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008

By Jeff Stier, Esq. Soy reduces sperm count! Or at least, that's what all the papers would be saying today if soy were an industrial chemical...

July

Toxics (from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Banning so-called fast-food restaurants from specific zones will not ameliorate the problem of obesity...

Group Not Industry-Funded (from the Dallas Morning News)

Posted: Friday, July 25, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. Americans -- including some with university teaching posts -- are in the grip of nosophobia...

Dr. Tom's New Folly (from the New York Post)

Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. Your editorial urging Congress to ban phthalates in toys (despite the fact that they present no health hazard) implied that the only dissenters to the proposed ban are...

No-Strings Green Giveaway

Risky Business (from the Guardian)

Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008

By Jeff Stier. City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden apparently didn't notice the scandalous revelations about City Council "member items" earlier this year -- at least, it hasn't stopped him from jumping feet first into his own no-accountability giveaway...

By Henry Miller

Posted: Friday, July 11, 2008

By Henry I. Miller, M.D. Worried about trace chemicals in the water supply or carbon monoxide in your home? Don't be...

Cool Off on Health Scares (from the Washington Times)

By Glenn Swogger

Posted: Monday, July 7, 2008

Dr. Glenn Swogger. Scares regarding chemicals in plastic -- bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthlates -- are only the latest manifestation of a deeper problem. But the problem is not "our toxic environment" or the evils of industrial civilization. The problem is a pervasive unease and anxiety that feeds upon itself...

June

Exploiting 9/11: Lawyers, Unions, "Scientists" (from the New York Post)

Good Science (from the National Post)

Posted: Thursday, June 26, 2008

By Jeff Stier. It's right to take pride in treating our heroes well. We should certainly compensate first responders who were actually injured as a result of exposure to the air on 9/11 and the following few days. But we shouldn't be suckers for every claim...

Hysteria over industry-science collaboration and "conflicts of interest"

Will Obama's Former Smoking Impact Health? (from Politico.com)

Posted: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. The recent proposed Canadian restrictions on products such as baby bottles containing the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) is but the latest unscientific legislation made possible in part by a dangerous prevailing assumption...

May

ACSH's President Dismisses Harvard Health Letter's Condemnation of Plastic Products as Health Risks

Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008

By Jeff Stier. Barack Obama's campaign has said at least some of his medical records would be released next week, and if complete, they may reveal some valuable information...

"I fear that you may have misled your readers, causing them needless anxiety"

Enjoy Summer Fun Safely: Health Group Offers Tips

Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008

New York, NY--May 23, 2008. In a letter responding to Harvard's Dr. Claire McCarthy, Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, President of the American Council on Science and Health, maintains that the use of plastic bottles and other plastic products pose no known hazard to human health...

"[B]ee stings, suburn, boating accidents and an increased risk of food poisoning can all subtract from the fun."

Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

New York, New York -- May 22, 2008. Summer brings warm sunny days and opportunities galore for outdoor activities. But bee stings, sunburn, boating accidents and an increased risk of food poisoning can all subtract from the fun...

Fighting a Virus Carrier (from the New York Times)

Health and Safety Tips for Your Summer Vacation (2008)

Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Since DDT "fell out of favor" forty years ago, millions of impoverished Africans and Asians have died needlessly...

By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.

Posted: Monday, May 19, 2008

Whether you are traveling around the world or relaxing at home, a safe, healthy vacation will add to your enjoyment. Here are some health and safety tips to keep in mind when planning your summer vacation.

ACSH Applauds MN's Gov. Pawlenty for Resisting Chemical Ban

Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2008

The American Council on Science and Health sent the following letter to Minnesota's Gov. Pawlenty after reading about his veto of a bill banning two chemicals...

Chem-Phobia: A Phony Plastics Threat (from the New York Post)

April

Plastic Hysteria Strikes Again (from the Washington Times) UPDATED

Posted: Monday, April 28, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. Chemical-phobia is in full bloom this spring...

Obama's Health (from HuffingtonPost.com)

Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008

By Gilbert Ross, M.D. A new health scare -- over the safe and useful plastic component, bisphenol-A (BPA) -- has taken wing...

The Real Scare-Mongers (from the Washington Times)

Posted: Friday, April 18, 2008

By Jeff Stier. The fact that Sen. Obama was a smoker is old news, since he quit. Right? Think again...

Paper Bags: Roach City (from New York Post)

Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. Michael F. Jacobson's Monday letter, "The perils of corporate funding," is a misinformed, scurrilous, ad hominem attack on me and the group I head, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)...

Response to an Attack on "Conflicts of Interest" (from the Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2008

By Jeff Stier. Get your plastic grocery bags while you can. By Earth Day, that is, Tuesday, the national chain Whole Foods Market will no longer offer shoppers plastic bags...

Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Dr. Kassirer persistently targets financial conflicts while ignoring the many other potential sources of lack of scientific objectivity...

Trench Warfare (from the New York Post)

March

How Plagues, Politics Nearly Sunk the Panama Canal

By Todd Seavey

Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2008

By Todd Seavey. When people die in the course of building something, we inevitably ask, "Was it worth it?"...

Jumping Ship from the Rats (from the American Spectator blog)

Sick Kids Misused in Smoke Ads (from HuffingtonPost.com)

Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. We won! That is, the forces of science-based public health policy seem to have won...

Big Picture of Flu Vaccination (from the Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

By Jeff Stier. Turns out the truth doesn't matter. The New York City Health Department is standing by TV ads that show children allegedly sickened by exposure to second hand smoke...

Anti-Chemical Hysteria (from the New Jersey Star-Ledger)

Posted: Monday, March 17, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. While the total number of youngsters who succumb to the flu is not large, and it is unclear how many lives would be saved by the vaccine, that is beside the point...

FDA Supreme, for Now (from the Washington Times)

Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Bisphenol-A, a polycarbonate chemical in plastic bottles (and many other products), and phthalates, generally used to make plastic softer and flexible, have been in wide use for about fifty years...

Posted: Wednesday, March 5, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that manufacturers of FDA-approved medical devices cannot be held liable for defects in design or malfunction, unless the company lied in their application for approval. This is good news for consumers and for public health...

"Safety" Insanity (from New York Post)

February

Scary Health Stories (from the Washington Times)

Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2008

By Jeff Stier. Congress is poised to pass a massive giveaway to the ambulance-chasing trial attorneys -- under the guise of protecting consumers...

Hostages in the War Against "Chemicals" (from HuffingtonPost.com)

Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. If you are a parent (or grandparent) of a young child, you are a target for manipulation by activists (some with scientific degrees)...

ACSH Advice: Do Not Worry About Health Risks from Baby Powder, Lotion, and Shampoo

Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. The fear-mongers have just about everything going for them...

Posted: Tuesday, February 5, 2008

An article in the current issue of the medical journal Pediatrics claims that baby lotions, powders, and shampoo contain a chemical known as phthalates, which are absorbed by babies through their skin, leaving them at risk of disease and disabilities...

January

ABC's Autism Outrage (from the New York Post)

What's "Normal" for Puberty? (from the Los Angeles Times)

Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008

By Jeff Stier. ABC tonight will include an extraordinary disclaimer on the first episode of its new series Eli Stone...

ACSH Statement on New York Times Story Alleging That Tuna Is "Contaminated" with Dangerous Levels of Mercury

Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Whom should parents, as well as your writers, believe...

Posted: Friday, January 25, 2008

There are no legitimate health concerns associated with eating the tuna available today -- in sushi or other forms...

Doc Frieden's Fried Voodoo (from the New York Post)

The Science and Economics of Cholesterol Drugs (from MedicalProgressToday.com)

Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2008

By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. The city Health Department yesterday passed new regulations forcing some restaurants to post calorie content for all the food on the menu board...

The Supremacy of Preemption (from TCSDaily.com)

Posted: Friday, January 18, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. The disappointing results of the ENHANCE drug trial have spurred a medical and media frenzy...

Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008

By Dr. Gilbert Ross. Patients will benefit if the Supreme Court sides with pharmaceutical companies in two cases this session...