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American Council on Science and Health

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Elizabeth M. Whelan ( / ˈ hw iː l ən / ; December 4, 1943 – September 11, 2014) was an American epidemiologist best known for promoting science that was favorable to industry and for challenging government regulations of consumer products, food, and pharmaceuticals industries that arose from what she said was " junk science ." In 1978, she founded the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) to provide a formal foundation for her work. She also wrote, or co-wrote, more than 20 books and over 300 articles in scientific journals and lay publications.

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48-530: The American Council on Science and Health ( ACSH ) is a pro-industry advocacy organization founded in 1978 by Elizabeth Whelan with support from the Scaife Foundation and John M. Olin Foundation . ACSH's publications focus on industry advocacy related to food, nutrition, health, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biology, biotechnology, infectious disease, and the environment. Its critics have accused it of being

96-519: A 2009 interview by The Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee , an ACSH spokesperson criticized the Obama's family 's White House Vegetable Garden , calling the Obamas "organic limousine liberals" and calling their promotion of organic food a "public health concern" since not everyone could afford it and also claimed that organic farming would "lead to famine" and said Michelle Obama "should use pesticides in

144-411: A bachelor's degree from Connecticut College and went on to receive a master's degree in public health from Yale University and both a master's in science and a Ph.D. from Harvard University , in 1971. After graduating Elizabeth Whelan began work studying modern marriages and family relationships. She published several papers on the subject. That work lead to her first book, Sex and sensibility:

192-543: A disclaimer since the show depicted a jury awarding damages based on the claim that a vaccine caused autism . ACSH has long been critical of groups that falsely claim a link between the two . Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, ACSH opposed the appointment of a federal official to oversee and administer aid to those injured during the attacks and subsequent rescue; it argued that such

240-562: A front group for anti-science denialism. The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) was founded in 1978 by Elizabeth Whelan . In the 1970s, ACSH scientists, saying they were concerned with what they described as the lack of sound scientific basis, common sense, reason, and balance in public forums and public policy regarding such issues as health and the environment, began to produce their own policy statements. In 1981, ACSH decided to start taking some corporate funding, but not for specific projects or programs, only for general support. Over

288-506: A fundraising policy through which "about 40% of ACSH [funding] comes from private foundations, about 40% from corporations, and the rest of the sale of ACSH publications". As of 2005, they had received $ 90,000 from ExxonMobil . Whelan told John Tierney of The New York Times in 2007 that "ACSH has a diverse funding base - we receive donations from private foundations and individuals and unrestricted (usually very small) grants from corporations. The fastest-growing segment of our funding base

336-757: A move would "create another layer of bureaucracy between victims and aid." Also, the group criticized rescue workers who attempted to "fraudulently receive financial compensation but did not suffer injuries." In 2008, then associate director Jeff Stier addressed the negative long-term effects of smoking by using the example of Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign. It opposed a New York State law that outlawed certain types of smokeless tobacco because, it argued, that would make it "harder for adult smokers to quit cigarettes." ACSH also criticized Apple Inc. workers who refused to enter homes where smoking had taken place to make technical repairs out of concern over second-hand smoke . ACSH does not support government efforts to ban

384-515: A new look at being a woman . The next year she published two more, A Baby?... Maybe: A Guide to Making the Most Fateful Decision of Your Life and Making Sense Out of Sex: A New Look at Being a Man . The latter was cowritten with her father-in-law, Stephen T. Whelan Sr., and was meant as a companion to her first book. After graduating, Whelan began writing on health issues for consumer magazines. She said she became increasingly concerned by

432-423: A period of personal and financial hardship, and he had resigned from the fraudulent clinic after seven weeks of employment. His medical license was reinstated in 2001. ACSH identifies Ross as an emeritus advisor. 40°46′32″N 73°58′58″W  /  40.7756°N 73.9827°W  / 40.7756; -73.9827 Elizabeth Whelan Whelan's advocacy encompassed numerous high-profile cases, including

480-399: Is 4184 J or 4.184 kJ. The term "calorie" comes from Latin calor  'heat'. It was first introduced by Nicolas Clément , as a unit of heat energy, in lectures on experimental calorimetry during the years 1819–1824. This was the "large" calorie. The term (written with lowercase "c") entered French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. The same term

528-451: Is a unit of energy that originated from the caloric theory of heat. The large calorie , food calorie , dietary calorie , or kilogram calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one liter of water by one degree Celsius (or one kelvin ). The small calorie or gram calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to cause the same increase in one milliliter of water. Thus, 1 large calorie

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576-595: Is a consumer front organization for its business backers. It has seized the language and style of the existing consumer organizations , but its real purpose, you might say, is to glove the hand that feeds it." Environmental scientist Haydn Washington and cognitive scientist John Cook have described ACSH in Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand as a greenscamming organization, i.e. as one of many groups that are formed to "masquerade as groups concerned about

624-407: Is equal to 1000 small calories. In nutrition and food science , the term calorie and the symbol cal may refer to the large unit or to the small unit in different regions of the world . It is generally used in publications and package labels to express the energy value of foods in per serving or per weight, recommended dietary caloric intake , metabolic rates , etc. Some authors recommend

672-461: Is increasingly being superseded by the SI unit, the joule (J); and metric multiples thereof, such as the kilojoule (kJ). The lingering use in chemistry is largely due to the fact that the energy released by a reaction in aqueous solution , expressed in kilocalories per mole of reagent, is numerically close to the concentration of the reagent in moles per liter multiplied by the change in the temperature of

720-750: Is individual consumers who are sick and tired of the almost daily baseless scares - and they write us checks to help support our work." In 2010, Whelan told The New Yorker that about a third of the organization's $ 2 million annual budget came from industry. In 2013, leaked internal financial documents revealed that 58% of the ACSH's donations in the period from July 1, 2012, to December 20, 2012, came from corporations and large private foundations, many of which themselves had ties to industries. Donors included Chevron , Coca-Cola , Bristol-Myers Squibb , Dr Pepper Snapple Group , Bayer Cropscience , Procter & Gamble , Syngenta , 3M , McDonald's and Altria . In addition,

768-484: Is most commonly used to express food energy , namely the specific energy (energy per mass) of metabolizing different types of food. For example, fat (triglyceride lipids) contains 9 kilocalories per gram (kcal/g), while carbohydrates (sugar and starch) and protein contain approximately 4 kcal/g. Alcohol in food contains 7 kcal/g. The "large" unit is also used to express recommended nutritional intake or consumption, as in "calories per day". Dieting

816-482: Is regarded as obsolete, having been replaced in many uses by the SI derived unit of energy , the joule (J), or the kilojoule (kJ) for 1000 joules. The precise equivalence between calories and joules has varied over the years, but in thermochemistry and nutrition it is now generally assumed that one (small) calorie ( thermochemical calorie ) is equal to exactly 4.184 J, and therefore one kilocalorie (one large calorie)

864-497: Is safe and what isn't. ... ACSH is using a slick scientific veneer to obscure and deny truths that virtually everyone else agrees with." In a 1992 internal memo by Whelan disclosed by Consumer Reports , Whelan directed her staff to ask McNeil Specialty for $ 10,000 toward a white paper on sweeteners, and she disclosed that her staff would seek "more CCC [Calorie Control Council] money... to help us get new sweetener booklet out". McNeil Specialty Products (now McNeil Nutritionals ) owns

912-404: Is the practice of eating food in a regulated way to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight , or to prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes and obesity . As weight loss depends on reducing caloric intake, different kinds of calorie-reduced diets have been shown to be generally effective. In other scientific contexts, the term "calorie" and the symbol "cal" almost always refers to

960-641: The 15 °C calorie and the thermochemical calorie . Until 1948, the latter was defined as 4.1833 international joules; the current standard of 4.184 J was chosen to have the new thermochemical calorie represent the same quantity of energy as before. In the United States , in a nutritional context, the "large" unit is used almost exclusively. It is generally written "calorie" with lowercase "c" and symbol "cal", even in government publications. The SI unit kilojoule (kJ) may be used instead, in legal or scientific contexts. Most American nutritionists prefer

1008-505: The Delaney Clause used by the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate use of the sweetener saccharin . She worked to promote industry-friendly science and to suppress the influence of other science on regulators, and was condemned by activists for promoting industry interests, for example with respect to pesticides, growth hormones for dairy cows (rBST), PCBs , hydraulic fracturing , and

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1056-610: The Scaife Foundation and the John M. Olin Foundation . By 2003, almost 400 scientists had joined ACSH. In September 2014, Whelan died. She was replaced by Hank Campbell in July 2015. Thom Golab became president in August 2019. ACSH frequently advocates against "regulating chemicals without scientific proof of harm." A 2009 editorial by board member Henry I. Miller in Investor's Business Daily criticized

1104-609: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s employment of the precautionary principle to regulate chemicals such as bisphenol-A , phthalates , flame retardants , the herbicide atrazine and fluorinated chemicals used to make Teflon , all of which he described as "important" and "demonstrably safe." In February 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act imposed regulations of several substances and banned

1152-472: The proposed limit on soda sizes in New York City . She was critical of many public interest groups that she said "frightened" people away from making personal choices in cases where "no danger had been proved." Whelan disputed whether toxic chemical exposure caused birth defects and health problems at Love Canal and instead claimed without evidence that people were falling ill because of "stress caused by

1200-449: The 25th anniversary of ACSH, Whelan noted that their critics such as Phil Donahue and Barbara Walters accused them of being a "surrogate" of the petrochemical industry and a "shill" for the food industry. To appease their critics, ACSH only accepted funding from private foundations for two years. However, as the media continued to indicate that ACSH was industry-supported, the Board decided on

1248-467: The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) in 1978 as way of helping scientists reach the public. The ACSH describes itself as a consumer education consortium targeting policy issues with a large scientific component, but critics contend it has a pro-industry bias. It says that one of its goals is to use the media to bring sound science to public debates. Whelan initially invited 50 scientists to

1296-519: The Pantry (1976), challenged the notion, popular in the 1970s, that "natural" was better and that "chemicals" were dangerous. In 1978, along with Frederick J. Stare , founder of the Harvard Nutrition Department, Whelan invited 50 other scientists to "bring the message of sound science to consumers, via the media" in a " consumer education consortium". Their first financial support came from

1344-519: The US marketing rights to Splenda , the branded name of the artificial sweetener sucralose ; the Calorie Control Council is an industry trade association for producers of artificial sweeteners, fat substitutes, and low-calorie foods. The same memo instructs that staffers give "special attention" to "Mr. McDermott at Searle about meat money". One notable critic was Ralph Nader who stated that "ACSH

1392-980: The boiling point of water). The actual amount of energy required to accomplish this temperature increase depends on the atmospheric pressure and the starting temperature; different choices of these parameters have resulted in several different precise definitions of the unit. ≈  0.003 964   BTU ≈  1.162 × 10   kW⋅h ≈  2.611 × 10   eV ≈  0.003 985  BTU ≈ 1.168 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.624 × 10  eV ≈  0.003 9671  BTU ≈ 1.1626 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.6124 × 10  eV ≈  0.003 964  BTU ≈ 1.162 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.610 × 10  eV ≈  0.003 971  BTU ≈ 1.164 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.615 × 10  eV ≈  0.003 9683  BTU ≈ 1.1630 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.6132 × 10  eV ≈  0.003 9683  BTU = 1.1630 × 10  kW⋅h ≈ 2.6132 × 10  eV The two definitions most common in older literature appear to be

1440-564: The documents revealed that the organization had on numerous occasions directly solicited donations from industry sources on the basis of projected reports on the specific issues in which those companies and industry organizations had such a stake. ACSH is well known for being a pro-industry group, and the organization's critics have accused it of being biased in favor of industry. In response to such accusations, ACSH claims that "evidence-based science and medicine, sensible health advice, technological progress, and consumer freedom need protection from

1488-679: The early 1990s, ACSH decided to stop reporting its funding. Their 1991 report shows that many corporations contributed funds. In 1982, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group, published a report on ACSH's practices that stated, "ACSH seems to arrive at conclusions before conducting studies. Through voodoo or alchemy, bodies of scientific knowledge are transmogrified into industry-oriented position statements." CSPI director Michael F. Jacobson said of ACSH, "This organization promotes confusion among consumers about what

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1536-425: The environment, but actually work against the interests implied in their names". Gilbert Ross, ACSH's former medical director, served time in federal prison and had his medical license revoked for Medicaid fraud before being hired by ACSH. When news of Ross's misconduct was made public in 2005, ACSH responded by stating on its website that Ross was remorseful for the role he played in the scam, it had occurred during

1584-413: The gap between scientific knowledge and public discourse on health related topics. She began writing books as a response. Panic in the pantry: facts & fallacies about the food you buy , published in 1975 and Eat OK--feel OK!: Food facts and your health , published in 1978. After several years of writing, Whelan, along with her likewise controversial coauthor Frederick J. Stare , said that she created

1632-549: The garden." ACSH criticized Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz 's Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act as focusing on detection methods that were "not scientifically supported but distracting from more effective measures." The group worked to "clarify" "unclear" messages and dispel "myths" surrounding the swine flu outbreak in 2009. In 2008, ACSH applauded the American Academy of Pediatrics for demanding for an episode of Eli Stone to carry

1680-470: The issue extends back to 1999, when it worked with former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to advocate for the ingredient used in many soft plastics. ACSH has advocated against taxation of foods known to contribute to weight gain as a means to combat obesity . The group opposed New York State's move to require food chains to post calorie information on their products. ACSH has also called for better regulation and testing of dietary supplements . In

1728-533: The manufacture for sale, distribution in commerce, or import any children's toy or childcare article that contains concentrations of more than 0.1 percent of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ( DEHP ), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP). Michael Kamrin, who was on ACSH's Board of Scientific and Policy Advisors, published a critical review in 2009 in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health , saying that phthalates were "safe." ACSH's advocacy on

1776-530: The media." Before her marriage, her name was Elizabeth Ann Murphy. Born in Manhattan in 1943, she was the daughter of Marion Barret Murphy and Joseph F. Murphy and had two brothers, Kevin and Brian Murphy. Her father was a lawyer and the Commissioner of Insurance of New Jersey from 1982 to 1984. Whelan was married to Stephen T. Whelan. They had one child, Christine Moyers , and two grandchildren. She earned

1824-402: The name ergon , and officially adopted in 1882). In 1928, there were already serious complaints about the possible confusion arising from the two main definitions of the calorie and whether the notion of using the capital letter to distinguish them was sound. The joule was the officially adopted SI unit of energy at the ninth General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1948. The calorie

1872-525: The nonstop assault of unscientific activist groups". In 1979, the information director of the FDA said, "Whelan just makes blanket endorsements of food additives. Her organization is a sham, an industry front." In 1980, ACSH co-founder Frederick J. Stare was chairman of ACSH's Board of Directors and sought funding from US tobacco company Philip Morris USA for ACSH's activities, stating that he believed financially supporting ACSH would be to Phillip Morris' benefit. In

1920-527: The organization. One of the first to respond and a founding director was agronomist Norman Borlaug . The ACSH reported in 2003 that it had grown to nearly 400 scientists. Whelan continued publishing personally, as well. Some examples include The One-hundred-percent Natural, Purely Organic, Cholesterol-free, Megavitamin, Low-carbohydrate Nutrition Hoax ; A smoking gun: how the tobacco industry gets away with murder ; and Toxic terror , published in 1983, 1984 and 1985 respectively. Calorie The calorie

1968-419: The sale of e-cigarettes . In 1980, ACSH co-founder Frederick J. Stare was chairman of ACSH's Board of Directors and sought funding from US tobacco giant Philip Morris USA for ACSH's activities. He stated that he believed financially supporting ACSH would be to Phillip Morris' benefit. The Scaife Foundation and John M. Olin Foundation provided ACSH's first financial support in the 1970s. In her address on

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2016-439: The small unit; the "large" unit being generally called "kilocalorie" with symbol "kcal". It is mostly used to express the amount of energy released in a chemical reaction or phase change , typically per mole of substance, as in kilocalories per mole . It is also occasionally used to specify other energy quantities that relate to reaction energy, such as enthalpy of formation and the size of activation barriers . However, it

2064-465: The spelling Calorie and the symbol Cal (both with a capital C) if the large calorie is meant, to avoid confusion; however, this convention is often ignored. In physics and chemistry , the word calorie and its symbol usually refer to the small unit, the large one being called kilocalorie (kcal). However, the kcal is not officially part of the International System of Units (SI), and

2112-457: The unit kilocalorie to the unit kilojoules, whereas most physiologists prefer to use kilojoules. In the majority of other countries, nutritionists prefer the kilojoule to the kilocalorie. In the European Union , on nutrition facts labels , energy is expressed in both kilojoules and kilocalories, abbreviated as "kJ" and "kcal" respectively. In China , only kilojoules are given. The unit

2160-647: The years, their articles have included such topics as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), obesity , chemophobia , phthalates , DDT , fracking , e-cigarettes , GMOs , atrazine , and bisphenol A . Whelan says she was motivated to found the American Council on Science and Health after doing research for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer about a section of the Food Additives Amendment of 1958 to ban certain chemicals from foods. With further research, she says she found that public discourse and public policy were chemophobic. Her first book, Panic in

2208-412: Was mentioned in the 7th edition of the SI brochure as an example of a non-SI unit. The alternate spelling calory is a less-common, non-standard variant. The "small" calorie is broadly defined as the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C (or 1 K, which is the same increment, a gradation of one percent of the interval between the melting point and

2256-451: Was used by U.S. physician Joseph Howard Raymond , in his classic 1894 textbook A Manual of Human Physiology . He proposed calling the "large" unit "kilocalorie", but the term did not catch on until some years later. The small calorie (cal) was recognized as a unit of the CGS system in 1896, alongside the already-existing CGS unit of energy, the erg (first suggested by Clausius in 1864, under

2304-546: Was used for the "small" unit by Pierre Antoine Favre (chemist) and Johann T. Silbermann (physicist) in 1852. In 1879, Marcellin Berthelot distinguished between gram-calorie and kilogram-calorie, and proposed using "Calorie", with capital "C", for the large unit. This usage was adopted by Wilbur Olin Atwater , a professor at Wesleyan University , in 1887, in an influential article on the energy content of food. The smaller unit

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