ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
COMMENT
©Copyright 1996 by the American Chemical Society EDITOR
William H. Glaze, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Walter Giger, EAWAG (Europe); Ronald A. Hites, Indiana University; James F. Pankow, Oregon Graduate Institute; Jerald L. Schnoor, University of Iowa (water); John H. Seinfeld, California Institute of Technology (air); Mitchell J, Small, Carnegie Mellon University; Joe Sufiita, University of Oklahoma ADVISORY BOARD
William L. Budde, EPA Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory; Stuart P. Cram, Hewlett-Packard Company; Joan M. Daisey, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; John Ehrenfeld, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Michael R. Hoffmann, California Institute of Technology; Sheila Jasanoff, Cornell University; Richard M. Kamens, University of North Carolina; Michael Kavanaugh, ENVIRON Corporation; M. Granger Morgan, Carnegie Mellon University; E H. Pritchard, EPA Research Laboratory; Dennis Schuetzle, Ford Motor Company; Alan T. Stone, The Johns Hopkins University; AlexanderJ. B. Zehnder, EAWAG WASHINGTON STAFF
Managing Editor: Stephen Cole Associate Editor: Jeff Johnson Assistant Editor: Danny Shannon Contributing Editors: Tony Reichhardt, Rebecca Renner Program Assistant: Dawn Hayes MANUSCRIPT EDITING
Journals Editing Manager: Kathleen E. Duffy Assistant Editor: Brenda S. Wooten GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION
General Manager: Alan Kahan Composition Manager: Vincent L. Parker Manager, Copy Editing: Elizabeth Wood Production Coordinator: Jennie Reinhardt Art Director: Neal Clodfelter MARKETING
Circulation Manager: Cecelia A. Huffman PUBLICATIONS DIVISION
Director: Robert H. Marks Director, Journal Publishing Operations: Charles R. Bertsch Director, Special Publishing Operattons: Anthony Durniak Head, Publications Marketing: David Schulbaum ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
Cenicom, Ltd, For officers and advertisers, see page 96A. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION:
Reprographic copying beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act is allowed for internal use only, provided that $12,00 per article copy is paid to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Republication or reproduction for sale of articles or abstracts in this journal is permitted only under license from ACS. Direct these and other permission requests to ACS Copyright Office, Publications Division, 1155 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. For quotes and information on ordering bulk reprints, call (202) 872-4539 or write to the ACS Distribution Office.
Conflicts of Interest
R
ecently I have had to formally certify that I have no conflict of interest related to several professional activities in which I am engaged. I was asked whether there was any conflict that would prevent me from fairly judging a research proposal, whether my position as editor of this publication would conflict with my duties at the university, whether anything else I do would affect my decisions as editor, and whether I have any ties that would prevent me from serving objectively on a government panel. These queries involved a bit of paperwork, but I recognize and support the rationale behind diem. The problem, of course, is that conflict of interest is often expressed much more subtly than can be detected by such formal statements. Sometimes a conflict of interest is embedded so deeply in our psyche that we don't detect it ourselves, or at least we do not admit it. Such is the case when we are presented with an issue that will directly or indirectly affect our welfare or the welfare of our family. Under mis stress we sometimes see things differently and make decisions that later seem to be in conflict with our fundamental ideals and values. For those working in environmental fields, conflict of interest is a real and ever-present danger. Many environmental specialists — researchers, analysts, engineers, and regulators — have felt that their job, their research support, or their next contract was being judged through the lens of political or economic correctness, and that they were under pressure to make decisions that were acceptable to their supervisors or benefactors. When those in positions of power have objectives diat are unrelated to environmental health and welfare, over time there is the danger that these values will diffuse into the minds of environmental professionals, or worse, that there will be a selection process diat weeds out those who do not conform. Fortunately for our society, this scenario does not apply to most environmental professionals. As a group they seem to have been attracted to the field because it was not only good for themselves but also the right thing to do. By and large they carry in their daily lives a set of values as noble as that of any other professional group. The record of environmental achievement over die past three decades is testimony to these values and to the integrity of our public servants in environmental agencies and in industry. But, as me financial stress of the 1990s continues to grow, all of us must be conscious of the danger of conflict of interest. For if we abandon our values in order to succeed, or even to survive, we will not only have lost the opportunity for meaningful contributions to public health and environmental protection, we will also have compromised an essential part of the human spirit.
William H. Glaze Editor
REGISTERED NAMES AND TRADEMARKS,
etc. used in this publication, even without specific indication thereof, are not to be considered unprotected by law.
0013-936X/96/ 0929-63AS12.00/0 © 1996 American Chemical Society
VOL. 30, NO. 2, 1996 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 6 3 A
