The British technology news site The Register reports that the president of Canada's Lakehead University has restricted the creation of Wi-Fi networks (which allow people to access the Internet through the air without wires) on campus, out of concern that the networks' radio transmissions might cause leukemia and brain tumors.
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A February 8, 2006 letter to the editor by Stephen Helfer of Cambridge, MA denounced the agitation in Utah for smoking bans, citing ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan:
The largest study done to date, peer-reviewed and published in the May 17, 2003, British Medical Journal, found no increased risk of lung cancer or heart disease associated with SHS exposure.
A Friday, February 24, 2006 article (available online to Chronicle of Higher Education subscribers) by Andrea L. Foster describes Lakehead University's fear of students getting cancer from Internet Wi-Fi signals -- but includes a note of caution from ACSH's Todd Seavey:
The university appears to be the first to cite health concerns in deciding against wireless networking.
A December 7, 2005 column by Becky Fenger in the Sonoran [AZ] News notes the article "EPA to Defend Itself from ACSH; NYC Defends Itself from Bedbugs" by ACSH's Todd Seavey:
This piece originally appeared March 16, 2006 in the Washington Times:
Judging from recent media coverage, soda is quickly gaining on cigarettes for the title of No. 1 Public Health Threat.
The journal Technology (Vol. 9, No.s 5-6) featured a review by Sorin R. Straja ACSH's book America's War on "Carcinogens", saying, in part:
An article by John Carney in the April 6-12, 2006 TimeOut New York explains that sellers of Vava and some other bottled waters claim the products have healing powers:
A May 3, 2006 article by Kara Sissell noted the ease with which activists can turn reports about chemicals into scares, one example of which was activists' reception...
...last year of a bio-monitoring study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta), says Gilbert Ross, executive director/medical for the American Council [on] Science and Health (ACSH; [New York]), a group that receives some funding from industry...
A May 7, 2006 article on the website of the Pakistan News Service quotes ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross countering fears about smokers gaining weight when they quit:
Smokers who want to quit should not be deterred by this, said Dr. Gilbert L. Ross, medical director of the American Council on Science and Health in New York.
A May 29, 2006 item by Robyn Shelton on the blog of the Orlando Sentinel quotes ACSH's report on Health and Safety Tips for Your Summer Vacation:
An article on flu in the November issue of Fitness quoted ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross on one highly useful flu-fighting step:
DON'T SMOKE. "People who light up are much more susceptible to the flu," explains Gilbert Ross, M.D., executive and medical director of the American Council on Science and Health in New York City. That's because smoking impedes the body's ability to fight off infection.
This letter appeared on October 12, 2006 in the Wall Street Journal.
The Senate is currently considering legislation which would prohibit the FDA from including on FDA scientific advisory boards scientists "with industry ties" to drug manufacturers (the House already approved this legislation). Today, FDA's Dr. Scott Gottlieb emphatically opposed this proposed legislation, declaring that it would deprive FDA of advice from the best and brightest scientists in America.
In a meeting held June 28, 2006, ACSH selected a new, expanded Board of Trustees. "We are delighted to have such an illustrious group of scientists, physicians, attorneys, and policy makers assume the governance of ACSH," said ACSH founder and president -- and trustee -- Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
New members of the Board of Trustees -- many of them longtime associates of or advisors to ACSH -- are in bold below.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH
JULY 2006
FREDERICK ANDERSON, ESQ.
McKenna Long & Aldridge
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the blog Weird News BNI notes some sound wisdom about how unlikely you are to get cancer from chemicals in your food (a quote repeated in the November 23, 2006 Washington Post):
"We recommend that no one eat more than two tons of turkey -- that's what it would take to poison someone." -- Elizabeth Whelan, Amer. Council on Science and Health
A Novemeber 7, 2006 piece by Stephanie Beckett notes the position of ACSH and Dr. Elizabeth Whelan on trans fat:
A July 13, 2006 column (reprinted on July 17) by Steve Chapman on the use of smokeless tobacco instead of cigarettes as a method of harm reduction concludes with a quote from ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross:
A July 22, 2006 column by Paula Easley laments multiple efforts to regulate in the name of safety without solid scientific justification. She notes the exaggerations about secondhand smoke:
An article on GhanaWeb.com criticized herbal energy drinks, quoting ACSH:
These legal substances, which produce appealing, steroid-like effects, are marketed heavily to college-age athletes, club-goers, dancers, and party animals. The energy drink and herbal industry's vast marketing presence has created an environment where students understand little about these products' adverse effects.
A September 26, 2006 article by Lauren Foster notes that judges have ruled claims that "light" cigarettes are healthier to be false but that the idea of using smokeless tobacco as a safer alternative for those who can't quit nicotine is catching on, citing researcher Brad Rodu and ACSH's Jeff Stier:
An August 16, 2006 article by John Johnston noted the denunciation by ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan of proposed California legislation that would ban iPods for containing "toxic" ingredients:
This article first appeared on American.com.
The recent decision to allow silicone breast implants was a sadly unusual victory of evidence over fear for the agency.
A December 15, 2006 piece by John Johnston and Dale M. King quotes ACSH's Jeff Stier and ACSH's report on trans fats:
"[I]f a simple switch to 'healthier' oils would make us healthier, we'd be all for it. But it won't," says Jeff Stier.
Stier, an associate director of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) then asks:
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