Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) : In Their Own Words
What They Tell You About:
Science
NRDC warns ominously that "eating fish contaminated with mercury...can cause serious health problems," despite the fact that there has never been a case of mercury poisoning as a result of normal commercial fish consumption in the U.S.
Science
What They're Not Telling You
A May 2009 survey of toxicologists conducted by the The Center for Health Risk Communication at George Mason University found that 79% of professional toxicologists believe that NRDC overstates the health risks of chemicals. Following the announcement of that survey, Linda Greer, Director of NRDC's Health and Environment Program, declared: "We're an advocacy group and we don't hold ourselves out as scientific researchers. We don't do peer reviewed science. Everybody knows that."
The Tough Questions:
If NRDC doesnt do peer reviewed science, and they are held in such dubious regard by established scientists, why should their research be taken seriously in discussions about public health policy?