Review of ATSDR’s Great Lakes Report Drafts (Letter Report)
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This study was supported by Contract 200-2005-13434, TO #11 between the National Academy of Sciences and Department of Health and Human Services. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW ATSDR’S GREAT LAKES REPORTS
ROBERT WALLACE (Chair), Irene Ensminger Stecher Professor of Epidemiology and Internal Medicine,
Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
JOHN C. BESLEY, Assistant Professor,
Science and Risk Communication, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
EDMUND A.C. CROUCH, Senior Scientist,
Cambridge Environmental Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
FRANCESCA DOMINICI, Professor,
Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
MARION F. EHRICH, Professor,
Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia—Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
S. KATHARINE HAMMOND, Professor and Chair,
Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California
DAVID A. KALMAN, Professor and Chair,
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
SUSAN A. KORRICK, Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
MARIE C. MCCORMICK, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor of Maternal and Child Health,
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
PATRICIA A. NOLAN, Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health,
Department of Community Health, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
MARA SEELEY, Senior Toxicologist,
Gradient Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts
REVIEWERS
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of the independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of this report:
John C. Bailar III, The University of Chicago, Professor Emeritus
Linda D. Cowan, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma
Tom Gasiewicz, Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center
Lynne Haber, Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment
Shelley A. Hearne, Health and Human Services Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Barbara A. Knuth, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
Robin Puett, South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina
Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, Maryland
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Gilbert S. Omenn, Center for Computational Medicine and Biology, University of Michigan Medical School and Jonathan M. Samet, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Appointed by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author committee and the institution.
CONTENTS
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Appropriateness of Datasets, Scientific Quality of Data Analysis and Presentation, and Conclusions |
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Validity of Directors’ Offices’ Concerns Regarding 2007 Report Draft |
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Boxes and Figures
BOX 1 |
Statement of Task |
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BOX 2 |
Timeline of Events |
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BOX 3 |
Example of an Indirect Effect |
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BOX 4 |
Example of the Addition or Removal of Hazardous-Waste Sites Without Following the Criteria |
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BOX 5 |
Example of Conclusion That Was Not Justified by Report Contents |
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BOX 6 |
Example of Recommendation That Was Not Justified by Report Contents |