CHARGE: Coyness in Disclosing Conflicts

Back in June, the Environmental Health Perspectives posted an “in-press” version of a study from the CHARGE group on autism disorders and pesticide exposures. This month, the October issue of EHP has the final version of the article. Janie F. Shelton, Estella M. Geraghty, Daniel J. Tancredi, Lora D. Delwiche, Rebecca J. Schmidt, Beate Ritz, Robin L. Hansen, and Irva Hertz-Picciotto, “Neurodevelopmental disorders and prenatal residential Proximity to Agricultural pesticides: the CHARGE Study,” 122 Envt’l Health Persp. (2014).

At the time of the in-press publication, I posted a plea that the media pay attention to principal investigator Dr. Hertz-Picciotto’s conflict of interest disclosure, and its failure to acknowledge her advocacy role on the advisory board of Autism Speaks. SeeNIEHS Study – CHARGE Failure to Disclose Conflicts of Interest” (June 23, 2014). The published version does indeed, by way of an erratum, acknowledge Hertz-Picciotto’s, and other authors’, membership in Autism Speaks, and their regret in omitting this information earlier.

Unfortunately, the erratum fails to mention that Hertz-Picciotto also serves on the advisory board of the radically anti-chemical Healthy Child, Healthy World organization, located in California (12100 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 800, Los Angeles CA 90025). Healthy Child Healthy World is a California non-profit corporation that advocates to:

“Demand corporate accountability
Engage communities for collective action
Support safer chemicals and products
Influence legislative and regulatory reform.”

It looks as though more regrets and more errata are in order.