Soft Plastics, Softer Science [Editorial]. The Wall Street
Journal, April 2, 1999, pA10.
Michael Fumento, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute,
writes this editorial piece attacking journalists for basing
stories on testimony of activists and instead of scientists.
Fumento singled out the _New York Times_ and _Time_ magazine
as the latest culprits. Both publishers ran stories attacking
plastics for being harmful.
In both stories, the authors cited supporting research
performed by the Consumers Union and testimony from Greenpeace.
Marian Burros, the _New York Times_ "Eating Well" columnist,
admitted that "the Society of the Plastics Industry, and industry
group, says that the Food and Drug Administration and the
Environmental Protection Agency have both given DEHA a clean bill
of health."
In its March 22 issue, _Time_ magazine wrote "Time regrets
that our report on concerns about plastics ["Poisonous
Plastics?," March 1] did not include the observations of
scientists and public health groups that have found no
significant risk of human health effects from the use of plastic
softeners. We should have made it clear that the fears about ill
effects are countered by strong evidence to the contrary."
____________________________________
Peter Anderson
RecycleWorlds Consulting
4513 Vernon Blvd. Ste. 15
Madison, WI 53705-4964
Phone:(608) 231-1100/Fax: (608) 233-0011
E-mail:recycle@msn.fullfeed.com