Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution
(2023) In Environmental Science and Technology 57(48). p.19066-19077- Abstract
Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP’s success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor... (More)
Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP’s success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP’s work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel’s work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel’s activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor’s role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP’s activities.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-12-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- conflict of interest, ecosystem health, human health, science−policy panel
- in
- Environmental Science and Technology
- volume
- 57
- issue
- 48
- pages
- 12 pages
- publisher
- The American Chemical Society (ACS)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37943968
- scopus:85178382079
- ISSN
- 0013-936X
- DOI
- 10.1021/acs.est.3c04213
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- eb17559a-2cc2-4a7c-a1f8-5272ecbda8b4
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-08 10:32:02
- date last changed
- 2024-04-23 06:09:55
@article{eb17559a-2cc2-4a7c-a1f8-5272ecbda8b4,
abstract = {{<p>Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP’s success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP’s work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel’s work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel’s activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor’s role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP’s activities.</p>}},
author = {{Schäffer, Andreas and Groh, Ksenia J. and Sigmund, Gabriel and Azoulay, David and Backhaus, Thomas and Bertram, Michael G. and Carney Almroth, Bethanie and Cousins, Ian T. and Ford, Alex T. and Grimalt, Joan O. and Guida, Yago and Hansson, Maria C. and Jeong, Yunsun and Lohmann, Rainer and Michaels, David and Mueller, Leonie and Muncke, Jane and Öberg, Gunilla and Orellana, Marcos A. and Sanganyado, Edmond and Schäfer, Ralf Bernhard and Sheriff, Ishmail and Sullivan, Ryan C. and Suzuki, Noriyuki and Vandenberg, Laura N. and Venier, Marta and Vlahos, Penny and Wagner, Martin and Wang, Fang and Wang, Mengjiao and Soehl, Anna and Ågerstrand, Marlene and Diamond, Miriam L. and Scheringer, Martin}},
issn = {{0013-936X}},
keywords = {{conflict of interest; ecosystem health; human health; science−policy panel}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
number = {{48}},
pages = {{19066--19077}},
publisher = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
series = {{Environmental Science and Technology}},
title = {{Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c04213}},
doi = {{10.1021/acs.est.3c04213}},
volume = {{57}},
year = {{2023}},
}