SKAPP Authors Expose Brush Wellman Role in Stalling Stricter Beryllium Limit
July 1 - In the latest issue of Public Health Reports, authors from SKAPP and Brush Wellman present conflicting views of the company’s role in stalling OSHA action on beryllium. (Read more)
SKAPP in the Latest Public Health Reports
June 16 - The new issue of Public Health Reports features an article by Susan Wood and Kristen Perosino about the impact of the FDA Amendments Act on FDA transparency, and a response from David Michaels and Celeste Monforton to a letter on their recent beryllium article. (Read more)
SKAPP Examines Government Scientists' Rights and Responsibilities
June 3 - SKAPP's new Scientists in Government project, which promotes public discussion about the rights and responsibilities of government scientists, is recruiting current and former government scientists to participate in this qualitative research. (Read more)
David Michaels Testifies in Senate
May 7 - SKAPP Director David Michaels testified at an oversight hearing on science and environmental regulatory decisions held by the Senate Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children’s Health Protection. (Read his testimony)
Bisphenol A Case Study Released
April 16 - Just as the NTP has issued a new draft brief expressing concern about health effects of bisphenol A at current levels of human exposure, SKAPP has released a case study by Sarah Vogel on federal agencies’ response to this ubiquitous chemical. (Read more)
Early Reviews Praise Doubt is Their Product
March 31 - Two early reviews of Doubt is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health praise the book for showing how manufactured uncertainty harms health and the environment. (Read more)
Public Health Reports Webcast Features David Michaels on Beryllium
February 4 - Public Health Reports' February webcast featured SKAPP's David Michaels discussing his article (co-authored with Celeste Monforton) about OSHA's failure to update its beryllium standard. (Read more)
Scholars Explore Litigation and Regulatory Science
January 4 - Papers delivered at SKAPP’s third Coronado Conference have just been published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. (Read more)
SKAPP Authors Tell Inside Story of Beryllium Regulation
12/18/07 - In a new article in Public Health Reports, David Michaels and Celeste Monforton explain how the beryllium industry fought efforts to strengthen OSHA's inadequate and outdated beryllium workplace exposure standard. (Read more)
Susan Wood Calls for Restoration of Scientific Integrity at Health Agencies
12/17/07 - In a Boston Globe op-ed, Susan Wood warns that the Bush administration is neglecting the health needs of millions of Americans by leaving key health-agency leadership positions vacant for too long or filling them with individuals who advance an ideological agenda and show a disregard for scientific integrity.
Congresswoman DeLauro Speaks on FDA's Future
10/3/07 - Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro delivered a policy address on the future of the FDA in which she announced legislation to prioritize food safety within the federal government. (Read more)
House Passes Diacetyl Legislation
9/26/07 - By a vote of 260 to 154, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act, which requires OSHA to set a standard to protect workers from diacetyl. (Read more)
SKAPP Faults FDA Response to Consumer Diacetyl Case
9/4/07 - A respected doctor has notified FDA and other agencies of a case of bronchiolitis obliterans in a patient whose only known exposure to diacetyl was through heavy microwave popcorn consumption. The inadequate agency response indicates a disturbing decline in the system that should be protecting public health. (Read more)
Legislation Introduced to Force OSHA to Act on Diacetyl
6/13/07 - Legislation introduced today would require OSHA to issue an interim standard to protect workers from occupational exposure to diacetyl, and to set a permanent standard within two years. (Read more)
David Michaels Urges EPA to Keep Conflicted Nominees off Asbestos Advisory Panel
5/24/07 – David Michaels submitted comments to the EPA Science Advisory Board, urging it to reject asbestos panel nominees who own or work for “product defense” firms. (Read more)
Lack of OSHA Action Gets National Attention
4/26/07 – Two Congressional hearings (one featuring SKAPP’s David Michaels as a witness) and a front page New York Times article have focused attention on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s lack of action on several important workplace hazards. (Read more)
Scholars Issue Open Letter on FDA Reform
2/14/07 - A group of 22 experts on drug safety and regulation has issued an open letter to lawmakers asking them not to reauthorize the user fees system that finances the review of new drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Read more)
SKAPP to Hold Panel Discussion Featuring Former FDA Commissioners
2/8/07: SKAPP is gathering former FDA Commissioners for a panel discussion on "Strengthening the FDA." It will be followed by an expert workshop on the same topic. (Read more)
Draft Paper on OSHA at 35 Open for Comments
1/9/07: Michael Silverstein's draft paper "Getting Home Safe and Sound? OSHA at Thirty-five" proposes ways to improve worker health and safety in the US. SKAPP has posted the documents online, and comments are welcome in the online discussion at The Pump Handle blog. (Read more)
Scholars Promote Solutions to Sequestered Science
10/10/06: SKAPP and the Duke University Law School have produced and issue of Law and Contemporary Problems dedicated to the topic of "sequestered science"; proposed solutions include "Sarbanes-Oxley for Science" by David Michaels. (Read more)
SKAPP Asks FDA to Re-evaluate Diacetyl's Safety
9/12/06: SKAPP has petitioned the FDA to revoke the “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) designation for diacetyl, the artificial butter-flavoring chemical linked to severe lung illness in workers at microwave popcorn plants and other facilities. (Read more)
SKAPP Welcomes Dr. Susan Wood
9/6/06: SKAPP is delighted to welcome its newest staff member: Dr. Susan Wood, who drew national attention to the issue of science being disregarded in public health decisions in 2005 when she resigned from her post as the FDA's Director of the Office of Women’s Health and Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health. (Read more)
David Michaels Speaks at ISEE Meeting on Data Re-analysis
9/4/06: SKAPP Director David Michaels delivered a presentation, “Data Re-Analysis: A Tool for Manufacturing Uncertainty,” at the annual meeting of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Paris, France. (Read more)
Scientists Urge Labor Secretary to Protect Workers from Diacetyl
7/26/06: Scientists and unions urged Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to take action to protect workers from the artificial butter flavoring chemical diacetyl, which has been linked to debilitating lung illness. (View PDF)
SKAPP Authors Expose Chromium Industry’s Data Manipulation
2/28/06: David Michaels and Celeste Monforton of SKAPP, along with Peter Lurie of Public Citizen, made the news from Washington, DC to Los Angeles with a report on the chromium industry’s attempt to suppress results of research on its products’ hazards during OSHA rulemaking. (Read news release or chromium case study)
David Michaels Wins Award for Scientific Freedom & Responsibility
2/15/06: SKAPP Director David Michaels received the prestigious Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (View release)
Special AJPH Supplement Explores Industry Challenges to Science
7/20/05: SKAPP Director David Michaels guest edited the American Journal of Public Health Supplement entitled “How Challenges from Industry Undermine Scientific Evidence and Public Health Protections.” (View PDF)
