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The overriding goal of federal policies governing the use of chemicals in agriculture and food processing is-and should be-consumer safety. One would hope that food safety regulation would be driven by the best scientific and medical knowledge. But instead, much of the American food supply is held hostage to the misguided absolutism of what is known as the Delaney clause, a nearly 40-year-old, 55-word quirk in the law. It reads, in its entirety:

The American Council on Science and Health today presented the "Poison Apple Award," given for the most shocking example of promoting, endorsing and glamorizing a deadly product to ELLE Magazine for encouraging cigarette use by its young female readers. ELLE earned this award for its May issue, which on page 219 contains a promotion for "the ELLE cigarette case," billing this "handsome and sophisticated antique-like silverplated case" as "the stylish way to transport your favorite brand."

Today's revelations that Philip Morris executives had suppressed internal company information on the addictive properties of nicotine, combined with the recent settlement of some lawsuits against tobacco companies, may mean that "at long last, tobacco companies are going to be held to the same standards of accountability as are all other businesses," declared Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health.

Recent research suggests that a fiber-rich diet may prevent and/or relieve various health conditions. Fiber is not a panacea, however. Dietary Fiber, a new Special Report from the American Council on Science and Health, summarizes current scientific knowledge about the health effects of this complex food component.

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has announced the formation of an affiliate group, the New York City Advisory Council on Health Priorities ("Advisory Council"). This affiliate, funded by grants from two private New York City foundations (The Bodman and J. M. Foundations), will focus on public health issues of particular importance to New York City.

(From Priorities Vol. 8, No. 2, 1996)
FYI: What is a Medical Device? -- medical (download)

New York, NY, April 14, 1998 Scientists at the American Council on Science and Health today questioned a new report in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that cites adverse reactions to drugs as the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States. The JAMA report, in the April 15th issue, is entitled Incidents of Adverse Drug Reaction in Hospitalized Patients.
The JAMA study fails to point out the almost incalculable number of lives saved each year as a result of properly prescribed pharmaceuticals,

New York, NY June 12, 1998. Olestra underwent one of the most extensive premarket testing programs of any food additive ever reviewed by the FDA. Since its approval in 1996, there has also been detailed post-marketing surveillance. This surveillance has demonstrated that the major objections to the use of olestra in salty snacks were without merit as detailed below with respect to two health-related aspects of olestra use.
Consumer Choice

New York, NY March 6, 1998.Scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today deplored attempts by some American corporations to manipulate scientific findings by withholding funding when research results displease them.

To the Editor:
Ralph King Jr.'s article ("Medical Journals Rarely Disclose Researchers' Ties," 2/2/98) calls for further analysis of the assertion, by the journal Epidemiology's Kenneth Rothman, that today's conventional wisdom in favor of disclosing corporate funding of research is a "new McCarthyism."
In a court of law, evidence is admissible only if the probative value of that evidence exceeds its prejudicial effect. The same rule should apply in the court of public opinion.

Last week's unprecedented recall of 25 million pounds of beef contaminated with the disease-causing Escherichia coli bacteria tells us a good deal about the futility of demanding zero risk in our food supply.The ensuing media frenzy tells us even more about America's naivete concerning food production.

Back in July 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new air quality standards to tighten ozone and particulate matter (soot) pollution to provide additional protection for children and asthmatics. This regulation, however, is ill directed and a misuse of public health funds.

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today denounced the opinion expressed earlier this month by EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner at her testimony before a New York State Assembly Committee concerned with the removal of PCBs from the Hudson River. Browner s testimony was part of a campaign by Assemblyman Richard Brodsky that alleges adverse health effects from the consumption of contaminated fish. There is no scientific evidence that trace levels of environmental PCBs are a health threat to the public.

In this report we will look at some common myths about colorectal cancer (CRC); describe findings from the past decade of research that have countered those myths; and comment on what the future may hold.

Over and over, virtually inescapably, the "food police" exhort us to keep so-called junk food away from children in order to steer them toward healthy dietary habits. Recent research findings, however, suggest that attempts at policing youngsters' food choices may boomerang.

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Alar apple scare, in which many American consumers were driven into a panic following the release of a report by an environmental organization claiming that apples containing the chemical Alar posed a serious health threat to preschoolers. The report was disseminated through a PR campaign and bypassed any legitimate form of scientific peer review.

Women should consider all the scientific evidence available, consult with their physician, and then decide whether they should take a chemopreventive agent to lower their risk of breast cancer, according to scientists with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH). A new booklet, Chemoprevention of Breast Cancer, has been written for ACSH by Kathleen Meister, M.S.

A New York Times report ("Cleaning Up the Dry Cleaners" by Barnaby J. Feder, Feb. l5, 2000) raises questions about the health effects of the most widely used dry-cleaning chemical, perchloroethylene, commonly referred to as "perc." The article pointed out that there were substantial business efforts underway to develop safer alternatives to perc -- namely a biodegradable soap that dissolves in carbon dioxide.

New York, NY¬December 15, 1998. The New York City Advisory Council on Health Priorities (NYCACHP), an affiliate of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), expressed its concerns today that recently imposed lead-based paint requirements may place city children at greater risk for lead exposure. ACSH, a consumer health group with over 250 scientific advisors, recommends a "lead-safe," rather than "lead-free" approach to lead control.

As most of you know, the New York City Advisory Council on Health Priorities (NYCACHP) is an affiliate of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), providing sound scientific information on various public health topics particular to New York City. Since its inception in 1997, NYCACHP has proved to be a voice of reason and authority on several NYC issues.

To the Editor:
Re "Give Doctors Tougher Rules" (Op-Ed, Dec. 10), by Dr. Joseph R. Wilder: Most serious medical mistakes relate to inadvertent medication errors, which can best be handled on a hospital-by-hospital basis, using computerized safeguards and guidelines. Oversight by medical governing bodies would have the counterproductive effect of encouraging doctors (and other caregivers) to hide, rather than learn from, their mistakes: plaintiffs' lawyers lurk in every corner.

On the 40th anniversary of the great "cranberry scare" of l959, scientists at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) urged Americans to "eat, drink, and be wary" of those who attempt to frighten us about trace levels of synthetic chemicals in foods.

To the Editor:
While scanning my wife's copy of April 1999 Elle I was dismayed to see poor health advice dispensed because of inappropriate risk comparisons.
On page 275 the "Health News" column states that oral contraceptive pills have dangers that include "a 50% greater risk of circulatory disease and a 20% increased risk of breast cancer," which belies the next statement that the risk is "very remote."

To the Editor:
A recent study reports that the ads created by Philip Morris to discourage teenage smoking are not only ineffective, but they may actually encourage the habit. (Marketplace, April 7, 1999). This does not come as a big surprise. A cigarette company is hardly the ideal candidate to convince teenagers not to smoke. The viability of the Industry depends on new, young recruits.

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