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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Review of ATSDR’s Great Lakes Report Drafts (Letter Report)

Committee to Review ATSDR's Great Lakes Reports

Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract 200-2005-13434, TO #11 between the National Academy of Sciences and Department of Health and Human Services. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Additional copies of this report are available from the

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For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2008. Review of ATSDR’s Great Lakes Report Drafts (Letter Report). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Willing is not enough; we must do.”

—Goethe

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES


Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine


The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.


The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.


The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.


The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
×

COMMITTEE TO REVIEW ATSDR’S GREAT LAKES REPORTS

ROBERT WALLACE (Chair), Irene Ensminger Stecher Professor of Epidemiology and Internal Medicine,

Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

JOHN C. BESLEY, Assistant Professor,

Science and Risk Communication, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina

EDMUND A.C. CROUCH, Senior Scientist,

Cambridge Environmental Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts

FRANCESCA DOMINICI, Professor,

Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

MARION F. EHRICH, Professor,

Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia—Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

S. KATHARINE HAMMOND, Professor and Chair,

Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California

DAVID A. KALMAN, Professor and Chair,

Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

SUSAN A. KORRICK, Assistant Professor of Medicine,

Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

MARIE C. MCCORMICK, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor of Maternal and Child Health,

Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

PATRICIA A. NOLAN, Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health,

Department of Community Health, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

MARA SEELEY, Senior Toxicologist,

Gradient Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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STAFF

Michelle C. Catlin, Study Director

Naoko Ishibe, Program Officer

Jennifer Saunders, Senior Program Associate

Rose Marie Martinez, Director,

Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

Joseph Goodman, Senior Program Assistant

Norman Grossblatt, Senior Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
×

REVIEWERS

This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of the independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of this report:


John C. Bailar III, The University of Chicago, Professor Emeritus

Linda D. Cowan, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma

Tom Gasiewicz, Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center

Lynne Haber, Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment

Shelley A. Hearne, Health and Human Services Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Barbara A. Knuth, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University

Robin Puett, South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina

Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, Maryland


Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Gilbert S. Omenn, Center for Computational Medicine and Biology, University of Michigan Medical School and Jonathan M. Samet, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Appointed by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author committee and the institution.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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CONTENTS

Boxes and Figures

BOX 1

 

Statement of Task

 

7

BOX 2

 

Timeline of Events

 

10

BOX 3

 

Example of an Indirect Effect

 

12

BOX 4

 

Example of the Addition or Removal of Hazardous-Waste Sites Without Following the Criteria

 

13

BOX 5

 

Example of Conclusion That Was Not Justified by Report Contents

 

24

BOX 6

 

Example of Recommendation That Was Not Justified by Report Contents

 

24

FIGURE A-1

 

Great Lakes Areas of Concern

 

33

FIGURE A-2

 

Ashtabula River Area of Concern, Ohio

 

34

FIGURE A-3

 

Clinton River Area of Concern, Michigan

 

35

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2008. Review of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts: Letter Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12476.
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The newly released Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Review Of ATSDR's Great Lakes Report Drafts (Letter Report) presents the details of an IOM committee's evaluation of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) unofficial report drafts looking at health and pollution data from the Great Lakes region, of ATSDR's response to review, as well as of the concerns of the Office of the Director of ATSDR and the Office of the Director of the Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP). The committee found that the two drafts have problems and limitations that diminish the documents' scientific quality. These shortcomings hamper the usefulness of the drafts in addressing whether health risks might be associated with living near the lakes.

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