The recent release of a study from Harvard that claims small particles as a major cause of lung cancer causes us to revisit the question of human exposure experiments. The Harvard researchers assert they found lung cancer in non smokers and it must be air pollution. They cannot, of course, eliminate papilloma virus or other causes, and eliminate other confounders, but no matter, they got some publicity and will get more funding.
Regular readers of this site know that Milloy and Dunn submitted Declarations in support of a lawsuit filed in Virginia Federal Court to stop human exposure experiments at the U of North Carolina School of Medicine by an EPA sponsored group, exposing paid volunteers to small particle pollution.
The Federal Court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, but the preliminary discovery showed that 10 US medical schools are doing the same types of human experiments.
Now Harvard reemphasizes the toxic, Carcinogenic nature of small particles, claimed on the basis of the typical data dredging epidemiology.
Either it is or it isn’t carcinogenic, and even if the EPA is lying about the carcinogenicity, any experimental subject now has to decide–did they lie to me or to the Congress about small particles.
Junk Science strikes again.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/28/us-air-pollution-idUSTRE79R5NM20111028