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Annat bidrag i vetenskaplig tidskrift2023Vetenskapligt granskadÖppen tillgång

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;
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Sammanfattning

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.

Nyckelord

human health; ecosystem health; science-policypanel; conflict of interest

Publicerad i

Environmental Science and Technology
2023, Volym: 57, nummer: 48, sidor: 19066-19077
Utgivare: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

    Globala målen

    SDG15 Skydda, återställa och främja ett hållbart nyttjande av landbaserade ekosystem, hållbart bruka skogar, bekämpa ökenspridning, hejda och vrida tillbaka markförstöringen samt hejda förlusten av biologisk mångfald
    SDG13 Vidta omedelbara åtgärder för att bekämpa klimatförändringarna och dess konsekvenser
    SDG12 Säkerställa hållbara konsumtions- och produktionsmönster

    UKÄ forskningsämne

    Miljövetenskap
    Tvärvetenskapliga studier

    Publikationens identifierare

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c04213

    Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126770