Harvard Fluoride Cancer Scandal
CategoriesHere is what I added to the to the online letter to Harvard's President President Bok"
"It appears that more prestigious universities have let themselves become prime candidates for doing the dirty bidding of the industry. From a quick google search on "Harvard "science for sale"" a totally disgusting state of affairs is obvious yet oblivious to Harvard.
Should you not be dealing with such serious allegations, not only to protect scientific integrity but also, to salvage the reputation of this supposedly prestigious institute?"
Please follow the instructions below and write in to the President, asking him to uphold scientific standards and right a wrong. Not demanding redress will simply continue to condone such behavior. It is one thing to not knowingly be abused but quite another to knowing let such insults continue... In this sense we deserve what we get!
Thanks,
Chris Gupta
See also: Fluoride-Cancer Study Cover Up
-------------Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I have been going through my list of emails looking for people who I feel would share my concern over a gross violation of scientific integrity at Harvard University (dental professor first hid then misrepresented his student's finding that there was a robust association between young boys drinking fluoridated waer and osteosarcoma, a rare but frequently fatal bone cancer). The details are contained in the letter below and supporting material at Fluoride Action network.
Many of you on this list are already opposed to water fluoridation and you will not need convincing how important it is to right this wrong, but whether you are for or against fluoridation, I hope that you agree that we cannot let Harvard get away with such a distortion of its mission. After all its motto is Veritas (truth)!
So today we are publicly launching an ONLINE letter (text below) to President Bok (Veritas or Non Veritas - you choose!). We hope that you will sign this - it is very easy to do - simply go to here.
If you enough time to personalize by a) choosing your own heading (if in doubt, simply put: Veritas or Non Veritas - you choose) b) put in your own first sentence to personalize the message. Simply explain who you are (credentials, profession etc) ..... if you are busy that's enough but if you choose say something about how important it is to you, and many others that Harvard stick to its ideals that would be great!
For those who have even more time please forward this request to your own emails lists. Time is short - we need to get as many of these letters to Harvard as quickly as possible, before they think the whole thing is a done deal. We are very anxious to reach people outside the fluoridation movement; particularly students and faculty at other universities.
That's it. Thanks for anything you can do to help at this critical moment. (you might be interested in seeing what I wrote to President Bok to illustrate how deeply I care about this - see after the Online letter).
Paul Connett
-----------------------------------ONLINE LETTER PLEASE ADD NAME HERE
Dear President Bok,
I am very concerned by the charge that a Harvard Professor, Chester Douglass, misrepresented important research findings from his federally-funded study on fluoride exposure and osteosarcoma.
As detailed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Professor Douglass portrayed the research of his PhD student (Elise Bassin) as supporting his conclusion that there is no association between fluoridation and osteosarcoma (a rare, but often fatal, bone cancer). Douglass made this statement to a panel of the National Research Council (NRC) investigating the safety of fluoride in drinking water. As has now been discovered, however, the student's work which Douglass cited, sharply contradicted his claim.
While I was disturbed to read the well-documented ethics charge against Douglass, I was even more disturbed to read Harvard's very brief, and completely inadequate, response on August 15, 2006.
This statement - coming 13 months after the ethics complaint was filed - provides no explanation at all to justify the University's position that Douglass did not "intentionally" misrepresent the research. Nor does it explain why the investigators failed to make contact with EWG and seek direct testimony on the matter.
In my view, neither Douglass's behavior nor the University's response, lives up to your ancient motto "veritas."
I therefore ask you President Bok to use your office to provide a convincing explanation for the investigator's decision. Failing that, I respectfully suggest that you set up a follow-up inquiry involving a panel drawn from those who are not employed by Harvard and who hold no allegiance to the water fluoridation program. These investigators would review the panels' findings and seek a response from EWG, then report back to you.
Until such actions are taken, the public's confidence in Harvard's allegiance to the highest standards of academic integrity could be irreparably damaged.
-------------------------------------------Paul Connett's letter to President Bok
Dear President Bok,
You and I seem to live in a very cynical age. No one trusts the government, not even agencies which were set up to protect our health, like the FDA and the CDC. That is not healthy. Everything seems to be for sale, including science.
I have studied and taught science for over 40 years, and as I was coming to the end of my career (I retired from a full professorship at St. Lawrence University in May) I came to the very sad conclusion that, as much as I enjoyed the process, I just didn't want to teach science any more. I simply didn't want to teach students the rigorous methods of science only to have them leave the university and have it all ripped up in front of their faces. Science is about the search for "truth". Without truth there is no science. Lots of money perhaps but no science.
So for me this whole Harvard Douglass affair comes down to two basic questions: Is Harvard "science" for sale? Do people outside your university care if Harvard "science" is for sale?
I hope that you will do everything you can to give those of us who do believe that scientific integrity is important just a little hope. That, in particular, you will not disillusion the young in this matter. The best young minds need to be inspired by the highest of ideals. Isn't that why the founders of your university put "veritas" on your shield? Please, please protect that shield President Bok with every muscle and sinue in your body...
Paul Connett
--------------------------
posted by Chris Gupta on Sunday August 27 2006
URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2006/08/27/harvard_fluoride_cancer_scandal.htm
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