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Grist writer Nathaniel Johnson, who is as close to an impartial journalist as Grist has, still knows that he has to cater to their crowd, and that means anyone who accepts that a pesticide is safe - the EPA, American Council on Science and Health, all of science - must have been paid off.

In a conspiracy narrative seemingly designed to support an unhinged researcher who has never had a paper used by the EPA because he refuses to show any data to the EPA, Grist claims that "follow the money" logic must rule all things they happen not to like.

"They show that Syngenta funneled money to the American Council on Science and Health, to the Hudson...

Just days ago we reported on a study led by ACSH advisor Dr. John Morgan showing that cancer rates in the town of Hinkley, California were — rather than being elevated — actually a tad below the expected rate. This contradicts the claims of presshound Erin Brockovich. Ms. Brockovich gained wealth and fame from a lawsuit she initiated based on the idea that the town’s residents had been poisoned by trace levels of chromium (VI) (hexavalent chromium), a chemical that was leaked there by Pacific Gas & Electric. Dr. Morgan’s work follows on a wealth of research showing that hexavalent chromium isn’t dangerous when ingested in drinking water at the trace levels found in Hinkley.
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Several species of weeds have developed resistance to the herbicide glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup), threatening crop yields in sections of farmland across the country. According to the New York Times, “The National Research Council [NRC], which advises the federal government on scientific matters, sounded its own warning last month, saying that the emergence of resistant weeds jeopardized the substantial benefits that genetically engineered crops were providing to farmers and the environment.”

“Herbicide resistance is not a new problem, but it has become a very real problem with specific weeds in certain specific areas,” says Dr. Ross. “This issue will...

Even though its been decades since numerous international governmental health authorities approved the use of aspartame as a food additive, the European Commission is not satisfied with the abundance of studies on the matter and is asking the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to conduct and expedite yet another re-evaluation of the artificial sweetener by July 2012.

Even though two studies earlier this year — an animal study on carcinogenicity and an epidemiological study on sweeteners and pre-term delivery — have not demonstrated any reason to re-evalute the safety of aspartame, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are still concerned over the...

While watching the Stanley Cup match on Saturday, the first period ended and legendary sportscaster Bob Costas appeared on the screen with the Lexus Intermission Report. It made me chuckle because the day before, a blogger at the political website Mother Jones had asked me on Twitter what I thought of a new EPA paper on the herbicide atrazine.

Be interested to hear thoughts on EPA atrazine report from @HankCampbell and @JonEntine https://t.co/5XGVg0iR7V

— Tom Philpott (@tomphilpott) June 3, 2016

Twitter is a quick medium, 140...

Legal Newsline yesterday quoted Dr. Ross's October 2009 Forbes.com column in an article that describes how EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson has drawn fire from two sets of people — those who accuse her of being too close to activists, and others who says she's too friendly with industry:

Dr. Gilbert Ross, medical director for the consumer education group American Council on Science and Health, said that the group suspects Jackson's call to have another look at atrazine is nothing more than part of an...

There are no adverse health effects associated with the low-level amounts of mercury found in dental fillings, the FDA determined less than 18 months ago. This conclusion was supported by the American Dental Association. But after four consumer and dental groups resumed attacking mercury amalgam in dental fillings, citing hypothetical health risks, and accusing the FDA of using flawed science in approving the substance for the umpteenth time, the agency will yet again reassess the scientific basis used for its decision.

“This sounds akin to the ongoing controversy over BPA,” says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, “except that these amalgams have been used for over 150...

After ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom was inspired to coin the phrase Wheel of Extortion just last week, in reference to Syngenta s disappointing class-action settlement in a suit against its herbicide atrazine, we have, unfortunately, come across another example to add to the wheel. A class-action settlement has been reached, following allegations that trailers housing residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina contained heightened levels of formaldehyde responsible for adverse health effects. The settlement will require companies that manufactured the trailers to pay $14....

USA Today has begun a series this week pedalling the supposed link between trace level chemical exposure in consumer products and children’s health. So far, the alarmist lineup includes articles claiming that these chemicals — in the guise of “endocrine disruptors" —cause early puberty in girls while delaying it in boys.

Reporter Liz Szabo grouped “hormone-like environmental chemicals” with plausible puberty-hastening variables...

Introduction

As the year draws to a close, some of us will be reminded that olde acquaintance should not be forgot. So, before we can officially commence the New Year, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) would like to reflect upon this year past. We'd especially like to spend an extra moment considering what we hope the world will eventually learn to forget the most unfounded health scares of 2010.

What were these? Not all of them were so novel. Just as old habits die hard, old scares don t seem to disappear easily either, and some headlines that received noted media attention in years past have reared their ugly heads once more in this current publication of our annual list of health scares.

But whether old or new, the hoaxes and...