Occupational medicine under fire

Occupational medicine is being undermined by pressure from governments and industry, a new report has concluded.

"In some countries, scientific findings have been suppressed and distorted, and scientific advisory committees manipulated for political purposes by government agencies," it found, with the increase in industrial sponsorship of research raising serious problems.

Researchers highlighted the tobacco industry, which "manipulated eminent scientists to legitimise their industrial positions, irresponsibly distorted risk and deliberately subverted scientific processes, and influenced many organisations in receipt of tobacco funding."

S Tong and J Olsen, "The threat to scientific integrity in environmental and occupational medicine", Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 62, pages 843-846, 2005