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[email protected] C&EN Online: http://pubs.acs.org/cen EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Madeleine Jacobs MANAGING EDITOR: Rudy M. Baum ART DIRECTOR; Robin L Braverman, Nathan Becker (Assistant Art Director) SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Lois R. Ember NEWS EDITOR: Janice R. Long SPECIAL FEATURES EDITOR: Cetia M. Henry ONLINE EDITION: Melody Voith (Editor), Luis A. Carritlo (Production Manager), Rachel Sheremeta Pepling {Editorial Assistant) EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Michael Heylin CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Susan J. Ainsworth, Κ. Μ. Reese ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Patricia Oates STAFF ASSISTANT: Stephanie Waht PROGRAM ASSISTANT: Nick Wafle BUSINESS Michael McCoy, Assistant Managing Editor NORTHEAST.· (732) 906-8300. Marc S. Reisch (Senior Correspondent), William J. Storck (Senior Correspondent), Alexander H. Tulto (Associate Editor), Karen J. Watkins (Associate Editor), Rachel Eskenazi (Administrative Assistant). HOUSTONt (281) 486-3900. Ann M. Thayer (Bureau Head). HONG KONG» 852 2984 9072. Jean-François Tremblay (Bureau Head). LONDON: 44 20 8870 6884. Patricia L. Short (Senior Correspondent) GOVERNMENT & POLICY David J. Hanson, Assistant Managing Editor WASHINGTON: (202) 872-4495. Bette Hileman (Senior Editor), Cheryl Hogue (Senior Editor), Jeffrey W. Johnson (Senior Editor), William G. Schulz (Associate Editor) SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION Pamela S. Zurer, Assistant Managing Editor WASHINGTON: (202) 872-4411. Stuart A. Borman (Senior Correspondent), Doron Dagani (Senior Correspondent), Rebecca L. Rawls (Senior Correspondent), Stephen K. Ritter (Senior Editor), A. Maureen Rouhi (Senior Editor), Sophie L. Wilkinson (Associate Editor), Amanda T. Yarnetl {Assistant Editor). CHICAGO: (847) 679-1156. Mitch Jacoby {Senior Editor). WEST COAST: (510) 8490575. Elizabeth K. Wilson (Associate Editor). LONDON: 441256 811052. Michael Freemantle (Senior Editor) ACS NEWS Linda R. Raber (ACS News Editor), Susan R. Morrissey (Assistant Editor), Kevin MacDermott (Contributing Editor) EDITING & PRODUCTION Robin M. Giroux, Assistant Managing Editor Louisa W. Dalton (Assistant Editor), Janet S. Dodd {Senior Editor), Arlene Goldberg-Gist (Associate Editor), Aatok S. Mehta (Editorial Assistant), Deanna Miller (Associate Editor), Stephen M. Trzaska (Assistant Editor) PUBLISHING & CREATIVE SERVICES William R. Succolosky (Head), Linda Mattingty (Staff Artist), PRODUCTION & IMAGING: Vincent L. Parker (Manager), Krystat E. King (Assistant) MARKETING MANAGER Scott Nathan ADVISORY BOARD Paul S. Anderson, Shenda M. Baker, Donald G. Barnes, Donna G. Blackmond. Ronald Breslow, Cynthia J. Burrows, Alison Butler, Margaret A. Cavanaugh, Sibrina N. Collins, Thomas M. Connelly Jr., John R. Danzeisen, Nance K. Dicciani. Richard M. Gross, Nancy B. Jackson, Cart A Jennings, Robert L. Lichter, Jonathan MacQuttty, Peter Nagler, George A. Olah, Riccardo Pigliucci. Lura J. Powell, Douglas J. Raber, Géraldine L. Richmond, Gregory H. Robinson, Michael E. Rogers, Mark C. Rohr, Richard R. Schrock, Jeremy Scudamore, Ian Shott, Jay S. Siegel, Sergey A. Vasnetsov, John T. Yates Published by AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
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Public Health And Data Quality ethics of providing accurate information. ROTECTING AND E N H A N C I N G T H E Sometimes, all three factors arise from public health got a significant boost awarding contracts to the lowest bidders. last week—from both the executive In addition to sloppiness is outright and judicial branches of the government. fraud, in which a company knowingly supOn March 26, President Bush filled two plies false data. Most shocking is the pracof the nation's top health positions: tice of "dryfobbing":Aworker merely copies Richard H. Carmona, an Arizona surgeon, data from a previous samwas named surgeon generple and submits it as a new al, and Elias A. Zerhouni, a sample with a new number. Johns Hopkins University : :iG;ËTi;;TiPf:;E:; Such fraud is relatively easmedical administrator, will MiMÊîMëÏÏM ily detected by sophisticatlead the National Institutes ed software—if someone is of Health (see page 12). On Mme-:^mw looking—but it is horrifythe same day, a federal aping to realize that it occurs. peals court upheld the most WEUMmnm To solve the problems, stringent air pollution conEPA is now working with trol standards in the nathe American Council of tion's history by ruling that Independent Laboratories the Environmental Protecto ensure the quality of data. It's a daunttion Agency was not arbitrary in issuing ing challenge: ACIL estimates that there new regulations for ozone and soot levels are 700 to 800 independent testing comin 1997 (see page 13). panies. EPA and ACIL are focusing on deNow the hard work begins. Carmona veloping a training curriculum to ensure and Zerhouni come belatedly to a full agenthat people monitoring a lab's quality sysda, made more challenging by bioterrortem are well equipped to detect problems. ism threats. And EPA must begin impleBut EPAalso needs sufficient funding to menting tough air quality rules, which provide proper assistance to testing laboindustry has bitterly fought. In enforcing ratories. The fiscal 2003 federal budget these rules, the agency will rely on strict proposes a nearly 15% increase for OEI's monitoring of fine particles. This sounds quality staff to $3.6 million, but no addistraightforward, but as a story in this week's tional staff resources. In addition, the overC&EN points out, obtaining high-quality all budget for OEI, which conducts qualdata in such monitoring is anything but ity work in its other program offices, would straightforward. decline 11.3% to $9.4 million. Congress In "Ferreting Out Erroneous Data," Seshould closely examine the OEI budget nior Editor Cheryl Hogue describes the and make certain that it provides enough uneven, sloppy and sometimes fraudulent money to protect the public health. data from contract laboratories used to
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monitor pollution and the quality of drinking water (see page 49). She writes, "Regulatory agencies—and companies—sometimes unknowingly make decisions based on inaccurate data." Those decisions can indicate that all is well when, in fact, a pollutant might actually exceed the standard for protecting human health, or they can lead to costly but unnecessary cleanups. Hogue interviewed Nancy W. Wentworth, director of the quality staff at EPAs Office of Environmental Information (OEI), who describes practices that lead to inaccurate data. In this category are improper calibrations of instruments such as gas chromatographs. Faulty calibrations may be caused by improper training, heavy workloads and productivity goals that motivate employees to take shortcuts, or a work environment that downplays the
Testing companies also must do their part. EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley notes, "Improving quality promotes profits and an increase in business, because a reputable laboratory attracts business." This is the bottom-line appeal, but business has a higher responsibility These labs— and the chemists who work in them—are the critical link in a chain of quality assurance that the public has come to count on. Lab directors need to instill in employees three guidingprinciples, according to^Wentworth: Get the right data Get the data right. Keep the data right. Labs should post this credo everywhere as a reminder that they are the front line in protecting public health.
Editor-in-chief
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