Our aversion to risk is particularly intense when it comes to prescription drugs.

Kudos to Gov. Schwarzenegger, and state senators Escutia and Maldonado, who obviously are concerned about the epidemic of childhood obesity in California and who are trying to decrease its prevalence via legislation. But will the laws authored by the senators and signed by the governor (SBs 12, 281, and 965) really help? It's doubtful.

A September 13, 2005 AP article by Michael Hill about diet fads concludes with this bittersweet note:
Ruth Kava, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health, figures it might be something like a high-protein diet.
"Somebody will come up with something new," she said. "There's a lot of creativity out there in Diet World."

Last night I attended a book party for a colleague here in New York. In the course of mixing with other guests, I met the host's best friend from college -- let's call the friend Joe. Joe told me he was a film producer, a graduate of an Ivy League school, and a long-term resident of New York City.

A new ad by US orange juice promoters tries to scare consumers away from "chemical-packed" rivals
By Elizabeth M. Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Posted: Monday, September 12, 2005

This booklet, based on a more technical report, examines the scientific evidence underlying claims of those for and against the regulation of mercury emissions, with the aim of determining the impact, if any, such regulation will have on public health.

September 2005 -- New York, New York. The regulation of mercury emissions from coal-fired electric power plants is not likely to have a significant impact on public health, according to a new report by scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a non-profit public health organization.

A Wednesday, September 7, 2005 article by Spyros Andreopoulos from the San Francisco Chronicle's website notes ACSH's reasons for thinking that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer's suit against purveyors of foods containing acrylamide is bogus:

Ted Balaker, editor of the Reason Foundation's Privatization Watch newsletter, interviewed HealthFactsAndFears contributor Dr. John Dunn, physician and toxicology expert, in Vol. 29, No. 3, 2005, on the topic of exaggerated air pollution fears:
What do you think of the public's understanding of environmental health risks?