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SOT Reaches Out to Capitol Hill
As part of the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting in March, Council members and members of the Society (27 in all) traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit key Congressional offices to open the dialogue between toxicologists and Congressional members and their staff. Members of Congress visited included Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Christopher Dodd, Richard Burr, Arlen Specter, Herb Kohl, Kathy Dahlkemper, John Kerry, Tom Harkin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer, Mike Enzi, Max Baucus, and Mitch McConnell and Congressmen David Price and David Obey. Staff from the Congressional offices voiced interest in a number of topics including endocrine disrupters, VOCS, sensitive populations, epigenetics, pharmaceuticals in the environment, the use of antibiotics in food producing animals, Brownfields, and Superfund sites.
The purpose of these Congressional visits, according to Daland Juberg, Chairman of the SOT Congressional Task Force of the Communications Committee, is to offer "Members of Congress and standing committees consistent access to toxicological and scientific expertise and resources during legislative discussions and Congressional hearings." He explained that the hope is that SOT scientists can offer expert evaluation or testimony on proposed legislation and provide toxicological and risk perspective on complex science and issues of concern involving human health and the environment. He also encourages SOT to sponsor more scientific briefings on topics of high relevance to elected officials and the public.
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