Federal investigators called in
July 12, 2005, 11:22PM
Did professor hide fluoride-cancer link?
Probe wants to know whether Harvard researcher buried evidence of bone disease threat
By JULIET EILPERIN
HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
• Tapped: The practice of fluoridating tap water — which more than 170 million Americans drink — has inspired controversy for years.
WASHINGTON - Federal investigators and Harvard University officials are probing whether a Harvard professor buried research suggesting a link between fluoridated tap water and bone cancer in adolescent boys.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which funded Chester Douglass' $1.3 million study, and the university are investigating why the Harvard School of Dental Medicine epidemiologist told federal officials he found no significant correlation between fluoridated water and osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Douglass, who serves as editor in chief for the industry-funded Colgate Oral Care Report, supervised research for a 2001 doctoral thesis that concluded young boys exposed to fluoridated water were more likely to develop that form of cancer.
The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, urged federal officials late last month to explore whether Douglass had skewed his 2004 report to play down risks associated with fluoridation.Douglass' report concluded that the odds of developing osteosarcoma after drinking fluoridated water was "not statistically different" than the risk from drinking nonfluoridated water.
But in 2001, Douglass' doctoral student, Elise Bassin, published a thesis using his data that concluded: "Among males, exposure to fluoride at or above the target level was associated with an increased risk of developing osteosarcoma."The association was most apparent between ages 5-10, with a peak at 6 to 8 years of age."Bassin's thesis work is considered the most rigorous human study to date on a possible connection between fluoridation and osteosarcoma.Osteosarcoma is a rare but lethal form of cancer that affects males nearly twice as often as females.Patients with the cancer live an average of three years after diagnosis."Fluoride safety is a major public health issue, and a Harvard professor potentially falsifying public research results has huge public health implications," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group.
He added that Douglass' role in editing a newsletter funded by Colgate-Palmolive Co. "creates the appearance of a conflict of interest."
Did professor hide fluoride-cancer link?
Probe wants to know whether Harvard researcher buried evidence of bone disease threat
By JULIET EILPERIN
HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
• Tapped: The practice of fluoridating tap water — which more than 170 million Americans drink — has inspired controversy for years.
WASHINGTON - Federal investigators and Harvard University officials are probing whether a Harvard professor buried research suggesting a link between fluoridated tap water and bone cancer in adolescent boys.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which funded Chester Douglass' $1.3 million study, and the university are investigating why the Harvard School of Dental Medicine epidemiologist told federal officials he found no significant correlation between fluoridated water and osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Douglass, who serves as editor in chief for the industry-funded Colgate Oral Care Report, supervised research for a 2001 doctoral thesis that concluded young boys exposed to fluoridated water were more likely to develop that form of cancer.
The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, urged federal officials late last month to explore whether Douglass had skewed his 2004 report to play down risks associated with fluoridation.Douglass' report concluded that the odds of developing osteosarcoma after drinking fluoridated water was "not statistically different" than the risk from drinking nonfluoridated water.
But in 2001, Douglass' doctoral student, Elise Bassin, published a thesis using his data that concluded: "Among males, exposure to fluoride at or above the target level was associated with an increased risk of developing osteosarcoma."The association was most apparent between ages 5-10, with a peak at 6 to 8 years of age."Bassin's thesis work is considered the most rigorous human study to date on a possible connection between fluoridation and osteosarcoma.Osteosarcoma is a rare but lethal form of cancer that affects males nearly twice as often as females.Patients with the cancer live an average of three years after diagnosis."Fluoride safety is a major public health issue, and a Harvard professor potentially falsifying public research results has huge public health implications," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group.
He added that Douglass' role in editing a newsletter funded by Colgate-Palmolive Co. "creates the appearance of a conflict of interest."
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