Bertram, Michael
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Monash University
- Stockholm University
Other publication in scientific journal2023Peer reviewedOpen access
Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution
Schaeffer, Andreas; Groh, Ksenia J.; Sigmund, Gabriel; Azoulay, David; Backhaus, Thomas; Bertram, Michael G.; Almroth, Bethanie Carney; Cousins, Ian T.; Ford, Alex T.; Grimalt, Joan O.; Guida, Yago; Hansson, Maria C.; Jeong, Yunsun; Lohmann, Rainer; Michaels, David; Mueller, Leonie; Muncke, Jane; Oberg, Gunilla; Orellana, Marcos A.; Sanganyado, Edmond; Schaefer, Ralf Bernhard; Sheriff, Ishmail; Sullivan, Ryan C.; Suzuki, Noriyuki; Vandenberg, Laura N.; Venier, Marta; Vlahos, Penny; Wagner, Martin; Wang, Fang; Wang, Mengjiao; Soehl, Anna; Agerstrand, Marlene; Diamond, Miriam L.; Scheringer, Martin
Show less authors
Abstract
Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP's success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP's work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel's work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel's activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor's role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP's activities.
Keywords
human health; ecosystem health; science-policypanel; conflict of interest
Published in
Environmental Science and Technology
2023, volume: 57, number: 48, pages: 19066-19077
Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC
SLU Authors
Global goals (SDG)
SDG12 Responsible consumption and production
SDG13 Climate action
SDG15 Life on land
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c04213
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126770