IOM Report Further Stokes Controversy About Guidelines For Daily Salt Consumption Too Much Sodium Is Bad, Too Little May Be Harmful, And The Right Amount Is Unknown A report by an expert panel of the Institute of Medicine asked to examine recent studies that have looked at the effect of sodium consumption on actual health outcomes and not just on blood pressure has reached an unexpected conclusion. In its front page story, the New York Times says the report “undercuts years of public health warnings.” Not surprisingly,
the report provoked rapid responses from salt reduction advocates such as the American Heart Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (see related story, this issue). Body of Evidence To understand the report and the -Salt continued on pg 2
Proposal To List Asbestos Under The Rotterdam Convention Fails To Gain Necessary Support Science Is Losing All Around The World, Says Advocate A proposal to require under the Rotterdam Convention that countries exporting asbestos obtain informed consent from importing countries failed for the fourth time in less than a decade to garner the necessary votes from delegates to the recent Conference of Parties meeting in Geneva. Seven countries, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe blocked the proposal which required a consensus to pass, according to a
report by Bloomberg BNA. Science Speaks Prior to the meeting, the Chemical Review Committee made up of 31 scientific experts responsible for assessing the scientific evidence on asbestos and other chemicals had determined that asbestos qualified to be placed on the list. A landmark collaboration by a consortium of -Asbestos continues on page 8
In This Issue: -3Salt Reduction Advocates Disagree -5Pandemic Potential Under CDC Scrutiny -10What Epidemiologists Are Saying -11What We’re Reading -12Jobs
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May 2013 Volume Thirty Four Number Five