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Putting plastic in perspective

The Washington Times does consumers no favors by publishing Gilbert Ross' pro-industry dismissal of the health dangers of drinking from hard plastic (polycarbonate) bottles ("Plastic hysteria strikes again," Commentary, April 24) without also informing consumers that Dr. Ross' serious-sounding group, the American Council on Science and Health, gets considerable funding from the chemical industry. In fact, ACSH's funders are a virtual who's who of the nation's biggest chemical companies, including American Cyanamid, Monsanto, Pfizer, Archer Daniels Midland, Ciba-Geigy, Ethyl, Exxon, Chevron, Dow, DuPont and Union Carbide — just to name a handful — according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

This biased article completely ignores a broader category of health concerns, including those related to bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates in toys and other products used to feed and care for children, about all of which the National Institute of Health's National Toxicology Program has recently issued warnings. You would have helped consumers to determine the veracity of the speaker by letting them know the money behind the voice.

ELISA ODABASHIAN

Director

West Coast office

Consumers Union

San Francisco

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Contrary to the insinuations of Dr. David O. Carpenter, my organization, the American Council on Science and Health, accepts only no-strings-attached donations ("Plastics caution," Letters, Saturday). We will accept support from almost anyone, including foundations, corporations and a growing number of individuals — as long as it is understood that the contributions will have no effect on the high quality of our research and conclusions, which are published in peer-reviewed journals.