GALILEO IN PITTSBURGH

摘要

Today, 28 July 2017, the New York Times contains a halfpagernobituary of Herbert Needleman, who demonstrated thernsevere neurodevelopmental effects of low-level lead exposures.rnHe was the Galileo of the title of this book. The analogyrnis apt because he was hounded by the Pb industry, resultingrnin investigation for fraud by both the US Office of ScientificrnIntegrity (OSI) and his employer, the University of Pittsburghrn(PA, USA). He was cleared in both cases, but even though hisrnresults were repeatedly confirmed, Fox News and right-wingrngroups continued to accuse him of fraud, citing statements inrnthe hearings out of context. He was a real hero. Those whornwant to know his story, and that of the geochemist ClairrnPatterson, who showed that ambient Pb levels were notrnbackground levels, should read Toxic Truth by Lydia Denworth,rnwhich I reviewed in this journal in 2008.