IIT Seminar Series: Dr. Bernard Goldstein

Tue, January 14, 2020 11:00 AM at 162 Food Safety and Toxicology Building

The Institute for Integrative Toxicology presents Dr. Bernard Goldstein, Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, to speak on, “Challenges to Science: Changes to EPA's Advisory Processes and the EU's Use of the Precautionary Principle to Ban Agricultural Imports,” on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. in 162 Food Safety and Toxicology Building. Dr. Felicia Wu will host this seminar. If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Goldstein, please contact Kasey Baldwin, kbaldwin@msu.edu.

Bio:
Dr. Goldstein is a physician and toxicologist who is Emeritus Dean and Emeritus Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He was Assistant Administrator for Research and Development of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1983-1985, nominated by President Reagan. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine for whom he has chaired over a dozen committees. He has also served on or chaired committees related to environmental health for the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environmental Program. He is active on shale gas issues; in the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; in EU/US environmental policy differences; and on problems related to the interface between environmental health science and public policy. 

Lecture Synopsis: 
The processes by which science is employed in policy-making are under attack in both the US and the EU.  I will describe two seemingly disparate examples, both at the behest of major industries.  The current US government is altering EPA advisory processes for the benefit of fossil fuel industries, and the EU has deliberately misused the precautionary principle to protect its agricultural industry.  In both cases public support is achieved by approaches that denigrate science and scientists.