1st Edition

From Critical Science to Solutions The Best of Scientific Solutions

By Richard Clapp Copyright 2012
    226 Pages
    by Routledge

    226 Pages
    by Routledge

    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

    Biography

    Richard Clapp Boston University School of Public Health and University of Massachusetts-Lowell.