CSPI Honors "Scientist"

CSPI Honors "Scientist"

Integrity in Science Award Is Neither

But I had to chuckle when I saw that one of the conference speakers is the University of Pittsburgh’s Herbert Needleman. Not only will Needleman be presenting a talk entitled, “Poisoning our minds: Industry attempts to silence the science of childhood lead poisoning,” but he will be receiving the inaugural “CSPI Award for Integrity in Science in honor of Rachel Carson.”

Oh my. Where to start? Well, I’ll leave Rachel Carson alone since she’s been debunked many times in this column. CSPI has been addressed in earlier columns on Olestra, Quorn, French fries and potato chips, soda, and pizza, to name a few.

That leaves Needleman, who gained national attention in 1979 with a study claiming that children’s exposure to low levels of lead harmed their intelligence and behavior. Needleman testified before Congress, and consulted for federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency.