SOT Member Bernard Goldstein Testifies on the Public Health Implications of Unconventional Gas Drilling Before House Subcommittee

February 6, 2012

Bernard D. Goldstein, longtime SOT member and Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health and Dean Emeritus of the University of Pittsburg Graduate School of Public Health, presented testimony Wednesday, February 1, 2012 before the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee on Science, Space and Technology on US EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Research.

Goldstein noted that the overall theme of his testimony is that, “It is in the nation’s and in industry’s best interests to maximize the yield of natural gas while minimizing the short-term and long-term environmental and public health costs,” and urged the committee to address the possibility of adverse public health impacts associated with unconventional gas drilling. Pointing to research he conducted of those who testified against drilling to the Natural Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy’s Scientific Advisory Board, he noted that about two-thirds cited health concerns. He went on to say that the public’s concerns about potential health effects is legitimate, noting that there are many agents of toxicological concern in the fracking mixture and “many other agents about which we know too little.” He also pointed out that as far as he knows, there is no study underway which thoroughly explores exposures and outcomes related to unconventional gas drilling activities. He said, based on his experience as a doctor and a toxicologist, “there is genuine cause for concern and the current lack of almost any support for research directly related to the health effects of unconventional gas drilling is shortsighted and counterproductive.” He went on to urge Congress to update certain mixtures studies by providing funding to apply modern toxicological advances to the chemical mixtures that are being used or result from hydraulic fracturing.

Referring to an analysis that he and two other colleagues produced for publication in the Environmental Health Perspectives, he noted that of the 52 members appointed to two state commissions and the federal government, they could not identify a single person with a background in any health field. He also pointed out that the Department of Health and Human Services wasn’t among the three federal agencies specified to be involved in the ongoing federal effort. He said, “Ignoring the public health implications of unconventional natural gas extraction is not going to work.” He concluded by saying “It is in the best interest of the nation to invest in understanding the potential adverse health consequences of this activity. The most cost-effective time, and in fact, the only cost-effective time to make this investment is now rather than to wait until the inevitable clamor for such research when diseases begin to appear that are associated with natural gas drilling activities.”

SOT Celebrates Its Members

September 21, 2011

To become a full member of SOT, a scientist must be recognized as the leader in the field of toxicology by his or her peers. View the several SOT members who have also earned the following scientific honors.

Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is renowned for its research program, but it is also an honorific organization with more than 1,700 members and foreign associates who donate their time to put their knowledge and expertise to work for the nation's health. Each year, the full membership elects up to 65 new members and five foreign associates to the IOM. Members are elected for their excellence and professional achievement in a field relevant to the IOM's mission and for their willingness to participate actively in its work. These individuals represent not only the health care professions but also the natural, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as law, administration, engineering, and the humanities. For those at the top of their field, membership in the IOM reflects the height of professional achievement and commitment to service. SOT members who have been elected are:

National Academy of Sciences

Members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) are composed of approximately 2,100 members and 380 foreign associates, of whom nearly 200 have won Nobel Prizes. Members and foreign associates of the Academy are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research; election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist or engineer. The following SOT members are also members of the NAS:

The National Medal of Science

The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959, and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Awarded annually, the medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering. The following SOT members are recipients of this distinguished award:

An Order of the British Empire

The Order of the British Empire recognizes distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organizations of all kinds.

French Legion of Honor Award

The Award acknowledges the invaluable contributions scientists have made to medical research and especially his contribution to the expansion of French pharmaceutical research in the United States.

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is an independent organization whose overall objective is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society. Among other things, the Academy seeks to be a forum where researchers can meet across subject borders to offer unique research environments, support young researchers, reward prominent contributions to research, and arrange international scientific contacts.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Fellow of the AAAS is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to distinguished persons for "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications [which] are scientifically or socially distinguished." Examples of areas in which nominees may have made significant contributions are research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, and government; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. AAAS has awarded fellowships since 1874.

Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

A prestigious organization that is headquartered in Moscow. The academy is composed of more than 60 research institutes and councils that span multiple areas of medicine. Election to the academy is considered the highest honor for medical scientists in Russia.