1st Edition
From Critical Science to Solutions The Best of Scientific Solutions
First Published in 2017. In this volume, the editor collected articles that primarily appeared in the “Scientific Solutions” section of New Solutions, A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. The articles in the book are grouped into three general categories, starting with Critical Science. These articles are primarily critiques of “how science is done” or how science is incorporated into public health policy in the United States and elsewhere. The second category is what I have called Precautionary Science. These articles, such as the ones by Dement on asbestos and Solomon, and colleagues on the risks of manganese, essentially call for precautionary regulations to reduce exposures where there is substantial but, in the eyes of some, less than definitive scientific knowledge. The final category is Solutions Science. In some ways, this represents the current stage of precautionary science, where we have begun to look at larger societal issues and have moved beyond traditional scientific approaches and critiques.
Section I
CRITICAL SCIENCE
Chapter 1. A Case Study of Pseudo-Science in Occupational Medicine
Sven Ove Hansson
Chapter 2. Endocrine Disruption Comes into Regulatory Focus
Davis Baltz
Chapter 3. The Relevance of Occupational Epidemiology to Radiation Protection Standards
Steve Wing, David Richardson, and Alice Stewart
Chapter 4. Science is Not Sufficient: Irving J. Selikoff and the Asbestos Tragedy
Jock McCulloch and Geoffrey Tweedale
Chapter 5. Silenced Science: Air Pollution Decision-Making at the EPA Threatens Public Health
Kathleen Rest
Section II
PRECAUTIONARY SCIENCE
Chapter 6. PCBs in School—Persistent Chemicals, Persistent Problems
Robert F. Herrick
Chapter 7. Chrysotile Asbestos Exposure: Cancer and Lung Disease Risks
John M. Dement
Chapter 8. Manganese in Gasoline: Are We Repeating History?
Gina M. Solomon, Annette M. Huddle, Ellen K. Silbergeld, and Joseph Herman
Chapter 9. Describing Community Health Risks: Can Epidemiology be Improved?
David Kriebel
Chapter 10. Have Risks Associated with the Presence of Synthetic Organic Contaminants in Land-Applied Sewage Sludges Been Adequately Assessed?
Robert C. Hale and Mark J. La Guardia
Chapter 11. Are We Winning or Losing the War on Cancer? Deciphering the Propaganda of NCI’s 33-Year War
Genevieve K. Howe and Richard W. Clapp
Section III
SOLUTIONS SCIENCE
Chapter 12. What is Yet to Be Done
Barry Commoner
Chapter 13. Good Practice Guidelines for Occupational Health Research Funded by the Private Sector
Margaret Quinn, Charles Levenstein, and Gregory F. DeLaurier
Chapter 14. Factors Influencing Ergonomic Intervention in Construction: Trunkman Case Study
Scott Fulmer, Lenore S. Azaroff, and Susan Moir
Chapter 15. Green Chemistry in California: A Framework for Leadership in Chemicals Policy and Innovation
Michael P. Wilson, Daniel A. Chia, and Bryan C. Ehlers
Chapter 16. The Sustainability Solutions Agenda
Dan Sarewitz, Dick Clapp, Cathy Crumbley, Polly Hoppin, Molly Jacobs, David Kriebel, and Joel Tickner
Meet the Contributors
Index
