Dr. James Zahn, a research microbiologist at the USDA, asserted that he was prohibited on no fewer than 11 occasions from publicizing his research on the potential hazards to human health posed by airborne bacteria originating in farm wastes.
In a well-documented case involving the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Tommy Thompson dismissed three well-qualified experts on ergonomics from a narrowly focused peer review panel at the NIOSH.
The FDA repeatedly placed ideological and political considerations over scientific evidence in handling the emergency contraceptive drug Plan B’s switch from prescription to over-the-counter access.
In September 2004, the pharmaceutical company, Merck, voluntarily withdrew its pain medication Vioxx from the market after evidence emerged that patients were at increased risk of heart attack while taking the drug.
In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a new air pollution rule that would exempt many plywood manufacturers from restrictions on the emission of formaldehyde and other pollutants into the air.
Despite compiling hundreds of pages of evidence documenting the harmful effects of atrazine, a commonly used weed killer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refused to regulate the herbicide.