Ethics of pesticide testing in humans.With some dismay, we read the article by Meaklim et al. titled "Fenitrothion: Toxicokinetics and Toxicologic Evaluation in Human Volunteers" that appeared in the March 2003 issue of EHP EHP abbr. 1. effective horsepower 2. electric horsepower (Meaklim et al. 2003). The ethical aspects of testing pesticides in humans have been the subject of vigorous recent debate. A committee has been convened at the National Academy of Sciences to consider the issue. Our Center for Children's Health Children's Health Definition Children's health encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children from infancy through adolescence. and the Environment at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is a medical school found in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. held a national conference in 2002 on the ethical aspects of pesticide testing in humans (Conference on Pesticide Testing in Humans: Ethics and Public Policy, held 27 February 2002, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY). A fundamental problem is that no federally mandated ethical standards exist for safeguarding volunteers in pesticide studies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and has never established such standards. This is a situation very different from that which exists in the case of clinical trials of drugs conducted under the auspices of the Food and Drug Administration. A serious ethical impediment to pesticide testing in humans is that there is no conceivable way in which the administration of a pesticide to a person can benefit the health of that person. The logic that permits controlled clinical trials controlled clinical trial, n a research strategy that calls for two samples: an experimental sample of patients receiving a pharmaceutical, and a second sample of control patients receiving a placebo. of pharmacologic agents that may directly benefit human health does not pertain per·tain intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains 1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident. 2. here. We strongly recommend that EHP adopt an explicit policy for the consideration of future manuscripts that might involve testing pesticides in human volunteers. We specifically suggest that no further papers involving testing of pesticides in humans be accepted until federal policy on pesticide testing in humans has been clarified. The authors declare they have no conflict of interest. Philip J. Landrigan Department of Community and Preventive Medicine preventive medicine, branch of medicine dealing with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health practices. Until recently preventive medicine was largely the domain of the U.S. , and Center for Children's Health and the Environment Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, New York E-mail: phil.landrigan@mssm.edu Michael McCally Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Oregon Health and Sciences University Portland, Oregon Christopher Oleskey Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, New York REFERENCES Meaklim J, Yang J, Drummer OH, Killalea S, Stakos V, Horomidis S, et al. 2003. Fenitrothion: toxicokinetics and toxicologic evaluation in human volunteers. Environ Health Perspect 111:305-308. |
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