Science for Hire

Industry-sponsored research consumes millions of dollars in order to cast doubt on the toxicity of asbestos. The leading surrogates for this type of research are two firms called Exponent and ChemRisk, but there are others as well. Check their web sites to get an idea of what they do, and for whom they do it. These two companies and others like them continually churn out research designed to inject uncertainty, delay, and confusion into the process of regulating and banning terribly dangerous chemicals of all kinds. The principle behind hiring such companies is that it's better to wait and protect the bottom line of industrial poisoners than to act quickly and protect the lives of people. Hexavalent chromium, beryllium, beta-napthalamine, diacetyn, tobacco, and of course asbestos are just some of the horrifically toxic chemicals that enjoy protection as a result. An extraordinary book that exposes the damage done by science for hire, "Doubt is their Product" by David Michaels, explains why we still don't have even basic regulation of the most toxic substances known to man.

1. An evaluation of short-term exposures of brake mechanics to asbestos during automotive and truck brake cleaning and machining activities

This article was written to cast doubt on asbestos brake exposures during the 1970's and 1980's and to suggest that they were well within or lower than OSHA limits, thereby casting doubt on claims by any brake mechanics working during that time who later developed mesothelioma.

2. Mesothelioma in vehicle mechanics: is the risk different for Australians?
This article was written to cast doubt on the sound research performed by the Australian Mesothelioma Registry, which found that working around brakes causes mesothelioma.