Poisons in the Press: Deciding for Yourself What's 'Safe' (in San Francisco)

Event Date:

March 13, 2012

When the news media report on contamination in the air, drinking water or food supply, the public understandably demands to know straight away, “Is it safe?” A distinguished panel of toxicologists and environmental journalists will discuss why the question defies straightforward answers, what’s keeping the public in the dark, and how citizens can make informed decisions on toxic risks in the absence of certainty.

Panelists:

Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Kent R. Olson, M.D., Medical Director of the California Poison Control Center
John Incardona, Supervisory Research Toxicologist, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Philip Wexler, Technical Information Specialist, National Library of Medicine’s Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program
Chris Bowman, Chairman, Environment-Energy News Initiative, Capital Public Radio
Marla Cone, Editor-In-Chief, Environmental Health News
Janet Raloff, Senior Editor, Science News
Jane Kay, San Francisco-based environment writer