Weinberg Group

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The Weinberg Group is a Washington, DC-based consulting group, specializing in "international scientific and regulatory consulting" and "help[ing] companies protect their product at every stage of its life." Founded in 1983, the firm assists pharmaceutical, pesticide, and chemical companies in regulatory affairs, litigation, and media work.[1] The company's role in generating doubt about research examining the health effects of Bisphenol A is currently being investigated by the U.S. Congress, as are statements that allegedly appeared on the firm's website claiming that it successfully kept on sale, for 10 years, a drug that was eventually cancelled as harmful.[2]

Contents

[edit] Congressional Investigation

In February 2008, ABC News reported that the U.S. Congress was investigating the Weinberg Group. Representative John Dingell said, "The tactics apparently employed by the Weinberg Group raise serious questions about whether science is for sale at these consulting groups, and the effect this faulty science might have on the public health."[3] The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Dingell chairs, asked the firm for records of its work on Bisphenol A and other chemicals. Some studies indicate that Bisphenol A, which is present in a wide range of plastics, is an endocrine disruptor and "can disrupt hormone systems in laboratory animals and possibly increase the risk of cancer or other serious illness."[4] Canada and 10 U.S. state have moved to ban the chemical from baby bottles,[3] and in February the U.S. National Toxicology Program released a report concluding that "there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures," and that "bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females."[5]

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest the committee also "accused the firm of generating false uncertainty about scientific research that cast a negative light on their clients’ products. After showing deleted pages from the Weinberg Group's website boasting about its work for two pharmaceutical clients, the committee demanded the firm hand over documents naming the drug, the drug manufacturer and the experts used to prevent the drug’s ban. The group has also been accused of working to cast doubt on research linking a brand name hair dye to cancer and the impact of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer." [6]

In response CEO Matthew Weinberg issued a statement saying "The analyses we conduct are rigorous and adhere to established principles of scientific integrity...We believe it is in the public interest for all scientific research to be subject to scrutiny and the views of all affected parties to be heard."[3]

[edit] Clients and Ties

The Weinberg Group has consulted for a number of pharmaceutical, chemical, and tobacco companies. Chemicals that the Group has worked on include Trichloroethylene (TCE),[7] Teflon (see below), PCBs, [8] Bisphenol A, and the organochlorine insecticide endosulfan.[9] The Weinberg Group is a sponsor of the International Society of Regulatory Toxicology & Pharmacology,[10] an group described as "an association of dominated by scientists who work for industry trade groups and consulting firms," by David Michaels.[11]

[edit] DuPont and Perfluorooctanoic Acid

Environmental Science & Technology reported that in April 2003, the Weinberg Group proposed a strategy to DuPont to help defuse the growing controversy over the health impacts of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a compound used to make Teflon. Weinberg's Vice-President of Product Defense, P.Terrence Gaffney, wrote, "DuPont must shape the debate at all levels." One of his suggested strategies was to facilitate the "publication of papers and articles dispelling the alleged nexus between PFOA and teratogenicity as well as other claimed harm." [12]

Gaffney also proposed to "develop 'blue ribbon panels' of thought leaders on issues related to PFOA" and to "coordinate the publishing of white papers on PFOA, junk science and the limits of medical monitoring." DuPont confirmed that they had hired the Weinberg Group to help with "scientific third party experts." The five-page 2003 letter also states that the Weinberg Group "has helped numerous companies manage issues allegedly related to environmental exposures. Beginning with Agent Orange in 1983, we have successfully guided clients through myriad regulatory, litigation and public relations challenges posed by those whose agenda is to grossly over regulate, extract settlements from, or otherwise damage the chemical manufacturing industry."[12]

[edit] Alcohol industry

In an editorial that ran in the British Medical Journal, Martin McKee, a professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, criticized the Weinberg Group for writing a white paper on alcohol regulation for the European alcohol industry. "Its approach is remarkably similar to the tobacco industry reports, contending that there is insufficient evidence that alcohol causes as much harm as is alleged or that preventive measures would be effective."[13]

[edit] Tobacco industry

The Weinberg Group has also worked closely with the tobacco industry. Myron Weinberg, and the company bearing his name, have been acting as tobacco industry consultants, in particular for Philip Morris.[14][15] Myron Weinberg is listed in a Philip Morris grants and projects budget as being paid $50,000 U.S.D. in 1995 alone for "Consulting Related to ETS Projects." [16] Philip Morris budgeted $250,000 for the Weinberg Group for Feb-Dec 1998 to organize a risk management conference and help develop and publicize a body of academic literature on risk management that would be favorable to the industry.[17]

The Weinberg Group also assisted the tobacco industry's law firm, Covington & Burling, with implementing a multinational Environmental Tobacco Smoke scientific witness program (also known as the "Whitecoat Project.") The Project was an effort by the industry to clandestinely find, recruit, and train third party scientists to act as credible, disinterested third parties who would speak, write, and testify in the industry's favor on the subject of secondhand smoke without disclosing ties to the tobacco industry.

A Philip Morris internal document dated 1989 and titled "[Tobacco Institute] Consultants on [Environmental Tobacco Smoke]-Status Report" describes the Weinberg Group as a "witness search firm," and describes their role in the ETS project. It says the tobacco industry "used [the Weinberg Group] 4-5 years ago in initial effort to identify scientists on ETS" and that they "found 8-9 scientists, many of which have since fallen by the wayside...Today even more resistance among scientific community to working with the industry." The Weinberg Group at that time provided Covington & Burling (C&B) with the names of 33 potential scientists to recruit into the project. C&B "reviewed their resumes and bibliographies, and ensured that the selected scientists held no negative [to the industry] views on ETS, that their position on primary [smoking] is that it is no more than a 'risk factor,' and that they are not retained by other companies as potential court witnesses." [18]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Weinberg Group Homepage, Accessed March 19, 2008.
  2. ^ Science for Sale Probe Deepens, Justin Rood, ABC News, MArch 11, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Layton, Lyndsey (April 27, 2008), “Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned Congress Examines Role Of Industry in Regulation”, Washington Post: A1, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042602126.html> .
  4. ^ Justin Rood, "Congress: Science for Sale? Congress Launches Probe Into Firm's Work on Chemical Used to Make Many Plastic Bottles," ABC News, February 6, 2008.
  5. ^ Since you asked - Bisphenol A: Questions and Answers about the Draft National Toxicology Program Brief on Bisphenol A, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website.
  6. ^ CSPI Integrity in Science Watch Week of 03/17/2008
  7. ^ Lamb JC, Hentz KL (November 2006). "Toxicological review of male reproductive effects and trichloroethylene exposure: assessing the relevance to human male reproductive health". Reprod. Toxicol. 22 (4): 557–63. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2006.07.001. PMID 16938429. 
  8. ^ Nichols BR, Hentz KL, Aylward L, Hays SM, Lamb JC (November 2007). "Age-specific reference ranges for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) based on the NHANES 2001-2002 survey". J. Toxicol. Environ. Health Part A 70 (21): 1873–7. doi:10.1080/15287390701457688. PMID 17934961. 
  9. ^ "Endosulfan's Occupational Risk Assessment Evaluation of EPA's proposed Aggregation of Dermal Inhalation Exposure." The Weinberg Group, sponsored by Makhteshim Agan of North America. Document ID No. EPA-HQ-OPP-2002-0262-0098.7, accessible via www.regulations.gov.
  10. ^ sponsors
  11. ^ Michaels, David (2008). Doubt Is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195300673. 
  12. ^ a b The Weinberg proposal, Paul D. Thacker, Environ. Res. Technol., Feb 22, 2006.
  13. ^ Martin McKee "A European Alcohol Strategy: Will the opportunity be missed?", British Medical Journal, October 17, 2006.
  14. ^ Philip Morris Privilege Log, Glossary of Names; the Weinberg Group is described by Philip Morris as "Consultants for Philip Morris" and Myron Weinberg is described as "Weinberg Consulting Group, Philip Morris Outside Litigation Consultants (sic!)"
  15. ^ Ong EK, Glantz SA (2000). "Tobacco industry efforts subverting International Agency for Research on Cancer's second-hand smoke study". Lancet 355 (9211): 1253–9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02098-5. PMID 10770318. 
  16. ^ Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: EXHIBIT E RESEARCH (GRANTS & PROJECTS 45... (yfm19c00)
  17. ^ Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: TECHNICAL PROJECT / AVTIVITY SUMMARY (jcu18d00)
  18. ^ Legacy Tobacco Documents Library: (cjk49e00)

[edit] External links

This article uses content from the SourceWatch article on Weinberg Group under the terms of the GFDL.