Evidence-Based Toxicology : "Sound Science" in New Disguise

• The "evidence-based toxicology" proposed by Guzelian et al. departs radically from state-of-the-art toxicology by claiming that risks for humans can only be determined on the basis of human evidence. Just like the previous proposal of "sound science," "evidence-based toxicology" poses a heavy burden of proof on any effort to control exposures in order to reduce health risks to those exposed. The alleged connection between "evidence-based toxicology" and evidence-based medicine is misconceived, since the strict criteria for use of scientific data in evidence-based medicine concerns proof of therapeutic effects, while in "evidence-based toxicology" these criteria are applied to proof of harmful effects. The slogans "sound science" and "evidence-based toxicology" have both been put forward by persons with a history of extensive involvement with the tobacco industry.

Keyword

Evidence-based toxicology

evidence-based medicine

risk assessment

burden of proof

sound science

bias

Philip S. Guzelian

tobacco

Philip Morris

epidemiology faces

framework

causation

relevance

disease

humans

limits

risks

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)