The Republican War on Science

Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since the Eisenhower administration. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker's agenda; or, when they're too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues-stem cell research, climate change, missile defense, abstinence education, product safety, environmental regulation, and many others-the Bush administration's positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies, once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents, are increasingly staffed by political appointees and fringe theorists who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. This is not unique to the Bush administration, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health, and safety regulation, and at the extremes, of evolution and legalized abortion. In The Republican War on Science , Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience. Responding to the expansion of scientific knowledge about the roles of nutrients in human health, the Institute of Medicine has developed a new approach to establish Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and other nutrient reference values. The new title for these values Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), is the inclusive name being given to this new approach. These are quantitative estimates of nutrient intakes applicable to healthy individuals in the United States and Canada. This new book is part of a series of books presenting dietary reference values for the intakes of nutrients. It establishes recommendations for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. This book presents new approaches and findings which include the following: The establishment of Estimated Energy Requirements at four levels of energy expenditure -- Recommendations for levels of physical activity to decrease risk of chronic disease -- The establishment of RDAs for dietary carbohydrate and protein -- The development of the definitions of Dietary Fiber, Functional Fiber, and Total Fiber -- The establishment of Adequate Intakes (AI) for Total Fiber -- The establishment of AIs for linolenic and a-linolenic acids -- Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges as a percent of energy intake for fat, carbohydrate, linolenic and a-linolenic acids, and protein -- Research recommendations for information needed to advance understanding of macronutrient requirements and the adverse effects associated with intake of higher amounts. Also detailed are recommendations for both physical activity and energy expenditure to maintain health and decrease the risk of disease. -- Provided by publisher Sources Of Hg -- Fate And Transport -- Health Effects -- Exposure Events And Studies -- Summary Of Risk Assessments For Mehg -- Scientific Controversies And Sources Of Uncertainty -- Organization Of The Report -- Chemistry, Exposure, Toxicokinetics, And Toxicodynamics -- Physical And Chemical Properties -- Methods Of Chemical Analysis -- Exposures To Mehg In The U.s. Population -- Toxicokinetics -- Mobilization Of Body Hg -- Chemical Forms Of Hg In Toxicity -- Toxic Effects And Target Organs -- Biochemical Mechanisms Of Toxicity -- Biological Variability -- Age-related Susceptibility -- Gender Differences -- Genetics -- Mechanisms Of Nutritional Influence On Mehg Health Effects -- Toxicokinetic Variability -- Dose Estimation -- Dietary Assessment -- Biomarkers Of Exposure -- Analytical Error In Biomarker Measurements -- Exposure And Dose Assessment In The Seychelles, Faroe Islands, And New Zealand Studies -- Health Effects Of Methylmercury -- Carcinogenicity -- Genotoxicity -- Immunotoxicity -- Reproductive Effects -- Renal Toxicity -- Cardiovascular Effects -- Hematological Effects -- Developing Central-nervous-system Toxicity -- Adult Central-nervous-system Toxicity -- Comparison Of Studies For Use In Risk Assessment -- Assessment Of Prenatal Hg Exposure: Cord Blood Versus Maternal Hair And Timing Of Exposure -- Differences In The Neurobehavioral End Points Assessed And The Children's Ages At Assessment -- Stable Versus Episodic Pattern Of Exposure -- Study Differences In Control For Confounders. Committee On The Toxicological Effects Of Methylmercury, Board On Environmental Studies And Toxicology, Commission On Life Sciences, National Research Council. Includes Bibliographical References. Mercury is widespread in our environment. Methylmercury, one organic form of mercury, can accumulate up the aquatic food chain and lead to high concentrations in predatory fish. When consumed by humans, contaminated fish represent a public health risk.Combustion processes, especially coal-fired power plants, are major sources of mercury contamination in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering regulating mercury emissions from those plants.Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury reviews the health effects of methylmercury and discusses the estimation of mercury exposure from measured biomarkers, how differences between individuals affect mercury toxicity, and appropriate statistical methods for analysis of the data and thoroughly compares the epidemiological studies available on methylmercury. Included are discussions of current mercury levels on public health and a delineation of the scientific aspects and policy decisions involved in the regulation of mercury.This report is a valuable resource for individuals interested in the public health effects and regulation of mercury. The report also provides an excellent example of the implications of decisions in the risk assessment process for a larger audience The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a far-reaching law that has sparked intense controversies over the use of public lands, the rights of property owners, and economic versus environmental benefits.In this volume a distinguished committee focuses on the science underlying the ESA and offers recommendations for making the act more effective.The committee provides an overview of what scientists know about extinction?and what this understanding means to implementation of the ESA. Habitat?its destruction, conservation, and fundamental importance to the ESA?is explored in detail.The book analyzes:Concepts of species?how the term "species" arose and how it has been interpreted for purposes of the ESA.Conflicts between species when individual species are identified for protection, including several case studies.Assessment of extinction risk and decisions under the ESA?how these decisions can be made more effectively.The book concludes with a look beyond the Endangered Species Act and suggests additional means of biological conservation and ways to reduce conflicts. It will be useful to policymakers, regulators, scientists, natural-resource managers, industry and environmental organizations, and those interested in biological conservation Introduction -- Methods And Mechanisms For Genetic Manipulation Of Plants, Animals, And Microorganisms -- Unintended Effects From Breeding -- New Approaches For Identifying Unintended Changes In Food Composition -- Adverse Impacts Of Food On Human Health -- Methods For Predicting And Assessing Unintended Effects On Human Health -- Framework, Findings, And Recommendations. Committee On Identifying And Assessing Unintended Effects Of Genetically Engineered Foods On Human Health, Board On Life Sciences, Food And Nutrition Board, Board On Agriculture And Natural Resources, Institute Of Medicine And National Research Council Of The National Academies. Includes Bibliographical References. Also Available On The Internet Via The National Academy Of Science Website. Last Viewed: 08/04/2004. Assists policymakers in evaluating the appropriate scientific methods for detecting unintended changes in food and assessing the potential for adverse health effects from genetically modified products. In this book, the committee recommended that greater scrutiny should be given to foods containing new compounds or unusual amounts of naturally occurring substances, regardless of the method used to create them. The book offers a framework to guide federal agencies in selecting the route of safety assessment. It identifies and recommends several pre- and post-market approaches to guide the assessment of unintended compositional changes that could result from genetically modified foods and research avenues to fill the knowledge gaps.

"Responding to the expansion of scientific knowledge about the roles of nutrients in human health, the Institute of Medicine has developed a new approach to establish Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and other nutrient reference values. The new title for these values, Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), is the inclusive name being given to this new approach. These are quantitative estimates of nutrient intakes applicable to healthy individuals in the United States and Canada." This book will be an invaluable reference for dieticians, nutritionists, and other health-related professionals and researchers in government, academia, and industry.

Annotation This study evaluates the evidence supporting the Environmental Protection Agency's current reference dose (RfD) for methylmercury (MeHg) with attention to new data not considered in the 1997 Mercury Study Report to Congress. Environmental exposures relevant to the assessed probability of human exposure are considered, data gaps are identified, and recommendations are made concerning future research. The use of biomarkers to estimate dosages receives particular scrutiny. A glossary is provided, but an index is not. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) The report reviews a draft strategic plan from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, a program formed in 2002 to coordinate and direct U.S. efforts in climate change and global change research. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program incorporates the decade-old Global Change Research Program and adds a new component -the Climate Change Research Initiative-whose primary goal is to'measurably improve the integration of scientific knowledge, including measures of uncertainty, into effective decision support systems and resources.' Assists policymakers in evaluating the scientific methods for detecting unintended changes in food and assessing the potential for adverse health effects from genetically modified products. This work feels that scrutiny should be given to foods containing new compounds or unusual amounts of substances and of the method used to create them. Reviewing the health effects of methylmercury, this work discusses the estimation of mercury exposure from measured biomarkers, how differences between individuals affect mercury toxicity, and appropriate statistical methods for analysis of the data and thoroughly compares the epidemiological studies available on methylmercury. The New York Times bestseller that exposes the conservative agenda to put politics ahead of scientific truth Appendix B: Endangered Species Act of 1973 as amended through the 100th Congress. 1988, (p. 211-257).