4 Nov 2009
How Big is the Risk of H1N1 ("Swine") Flu? Part 4:
Big enough to have fun
by Richard Belzer
in Regulatory Science, Amusements
The National Academies of Science, a notoriously serious organization, is now selling H1N1 ("swine flu") tschochkes.
More...29 Jun 2007
Distinguishing Risk Assessment from Risk Management:
Telling them apart can be hard
by Richard Belzer
in Information Quality, Peer Review, Regulatory Science
Experts in risk analysis often distinguish between risk assessment and risk management. But sometimes they don't, and that can leave the public confused about the difference.
Today's example is trichloroethylene, commonly called TCE. More...
26 Jan 2007
NAS Opens Up (a Bit) to Public Participation
Finally, the public can effectively comment on provisional committee appointments
by Richard Belzer
in Peer Review
The National Research Council, the operating arm of the Academy of Sciences, routinely conducts peer review of scientific issues. The experts it provisionally appoints to these review panels are subject to a 20 calendar day public comment period.
Historically, the public's actual ability to comment has been severely limited and in violation of the spirit (if not the letter) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. NRC would post notice of a provisional committee appointment, but not alert the public that it had done so. Members of the public would have to know that a review was about to begin; the name of the board, committee or other unit under whose auspices the review was taking place; and possibly the name of the ad hoc committee. Then they would have to check the NAS web site every day.
For an organization that claims to be the premier scientific and technical body in the United States, this scheme is remarkably archaic. Today, one NRC division finally made it easy for the public to monitor its activities.
More...17 Jan 2007
Conflict of Interest, Bias, and Mold
Challenging the Wall Street Journal
by Richard Belzer
in Litigation, Regulatory Science
On January 9, Wall Street Journal reporter David Armstrong published a long Page One article alleging that a position paper on the health effects of mold published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine suffered from bias and conflict of interest.
Today, ACOEM president Tee Guidotti responded to some of Armstrong's allegations.
More...12 Jan 2007
OMB's Proposed Risk Assessment Guidance
NAS issues its review report
by Richard Belzer
in Information Quality, People & Institutions, Regulatory Policy, Regulatory Science
On January 11, the National Academy of Sciences released its review of OMB's proposed risk assessment guidance. More...
19 Sep 2006
Agency Responses to NAS Questions on Risk Assessment Practice
by Richard Belzer
in Information Quality, Regulatory Science
In June, the ad hoc National Academy of Sciences committee empaneled to review OMB's proposed risk assessment guidance asked several affected federal agencies to provide comments.
Neutral Source has copies of these comments in our Library.
More...8 Jun 2006
OMB's Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin: Would the NAS Perchlorate Review Comply?
by Richard Belzer
in Information Quality, Peer Review, Regulatory Policy, Regulatory Science
Are OMB's proposed risk assessment guidelines so demanding that even
the hallowed National Academy of Sciences wouldn't be able to comply? This question came up at a May 24 congressional briefing. We sort out the arguments pro and con.
More...
