"Doubt is our product," once observed an executive from the cigarette industry, "as it is the best means of competing with the 'body of fact' that exists in the consciousness of the general public. It is also the means to create doubt."

In this revealing investigation, David Michaels uncovers how the diplomatic tactics of the tobacco industry spawned a multimillion-dollar industry that undermines public health protections. Product defense consultants, he argues, have increasingly distorted the scientific literature, manufactured and inflated scientific uncertainty, and influenced policy decisions to the advantage of polluters and manufacturers of dangerous products. To keep the public confused about the hazards posed by global warming, secondhand smoke, asbestos, lead, plastics, and many other toxic materials, industry executives have hired dishonest scientists and lobbyists to challenge the scientific documentation of health risks. In doing so, they not only delay action on specific threats but also construct barriers that make it more difficult for lawmakers, government agencies, and courts to respond to future threats. The Orwellian strategy of dismissing research conducted by the scientific community as 'junk science' and elevating science conducted by product defense specialists to the status of 'sound science' also creates confusion about the very nature of scientific research and undermines public confidence in the capability of science to address public health and environmental issues. Such insidious practices have long been in existence, but Michaels argues that the Bush administration deepened the disarray by virtually handing over regulatory controls to the very corporate forces of the products and behaviors they are supposed to oversee.

In "Doubt is Their Product," Michaels demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that our regulatory system has been dismantled. He offers specific, actionable suggestions on how it can be restored, removing politics from science and making the concern for public safety, rather than private profits, the guiding force of our regulatory policy.

Pages: 384, Dimensions: 22.6x22.6cm