Once again, proponents of the precautionary principle have tried to convince us that we are always better safe than sorry." Dr. Bruce Barrett recently published an article in favor of using this poorly defined doctrine to govern public health issues, making it in effect an institutionalized "fear factor."

The latest government report on biomonitoring will be presented next week -- but the Environmental Working Group (EWG) could not wait for that data. Instead, today they released their own "study" concluding that chemical "pollution" is so extensive that it "permeates everyone in the world, including babies in the womb."
I have to give EWG credit. What they lack in science, they make up for in spades in their ability to manipulate the most basic human fears and emotions.

The Ralph Nader-inspired nutrition-nanny organization, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), this week proclaimed that sodas -- sugar-sweetened and diet versions -- pose a health hazard, particularly to children, and warrant cigarette-style warning labels. The report, "Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks Are Harming America's Health," charges that soda consumption increases the risks of ailments ranging from heart disease to tooth decay, osteoporosis, cancer, obesity, and poor nutrition.

ACSH Founders Circle member Dr. Henry Miller wrote the New York Times July 10, 2005 about approving drugs for narrow groups of patients:
To the Editor:
Although better targeting of drugs to appropriate patient groups will let drug companies be more efficient in clinical trials, the approach could have a downside in post-marketing revenues ("Blockbuster Drugs Are So Last Century," July 3).

A July 7, 2005 letter to the editor cited ACSH on PCBs:
Regarding the July 3 article "Soil still toxic 25 years later":

A July 7, 2005 article by Gary White on the website of the Florida newspaper The Ledger noted some customers' fear-driven purchases of organic milk but also quoted ACSH Advisor Thomas G. Baumgartner's reassurances about conventional milk:

A study on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests released in yesterday's Journal of the American Medical Association confirms what ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan has been saying since 1992 -- PSA tests promise more than they can deliver. For years, men have been conditioned to think that if their PSA result is below 4.0 ng/mL, they do not have to be concerned about prostate cancer. But in fact, there is no cutoff PSA value that is reliable for accurately ruling out cancer in some patients and detecting it in others.

The PCB scare has hit the news yet again. A Westchester County school district is about to spend $100,000 to remove soil next to an elementary school, because the soil contains PCBs from window caulking. PCBs, used for their insulating and fire-resistant properties, were banned in 1977, when high-dose animal tests revealed an association with cancers and developmental problems. However, there is no evidence that tiny exposures from environmental contamination cause any health effects in humans.

ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan wrote an article for TechCentralStation.com criticizing attacks on breakfast cereal. That in turn inspired comments from two dentists, below (and remember you can easily add your own comments, to this or any other Fears item, by signing in at the right margin):
Dr. Whelan,

The government of Brazil has recently announced its intention to begin copying a patented AIDS drug, earning it the dubious distinction of becoming the first county to break a patent on an antiretroviral medication. The move has appealed to the Robin Hood in many journalists, who are praising the step as a victory for public health over the pharmaceutical company villains. But there is much more to the story than simply robbing from the rich and giving to the needy Brazilians.