From the WSJ Opinion Archives
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Shaky Science at Harvard
The School of Public Health goes Hollywood.
Why is the Harvard School of Public Health bestowing its most prestigious award on Erin Brockovich? The dean of the school, Barry Bloom, says that it is "for her efforts on behalf of all of us, and especially the residents of Hinckley, California, whose health was adversely affected by toxic substances dumped by a utility company."
That certainly is the movie version (made in 2000) of the case in which California's PG&E utility company paid a $333 million settlement in 1996 after a lawsuit launched by the firm where Ms. Brockovich worked. Then, as now, she claimed that chromium 6 in the local water supply had sickened the inhabitants of Hinckley--even the "bunnies"--with results ranging from nosebleeds to cancer and death.
Yet the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health presumably does not rely solely on Hollywood for factual information about environmental poisoning. And so far the scientific literature reveals no studies that back up claims about the sickening effects of chromium 6 in the water of Hinckley or any other town. Indeed, the infamous lawsuit--which never endured the rigors of a trial--is regarded in serious circles as a classic example of junk science. With this particular award, the Harvard School's reputation for sound science is hovering over the Dumpster.
So why Erin? Observers in the fund-raising field have noticed that the Julius B. Richmond Award--the one she will receive on Oct. 18--will be given during the annual conference of the school's Leadership Council, whose members include many big donors. The school's Web site regularly cites their generosity, announcing, for instance, that "Bugs Baer, AB '54, MBA '58, and his wife Joan, have established a Charitable Remainder Trust of more than $1 million at HSPH for unrestricted use."
Among other things, the annual meeting is a way to honor past donors and greet potential future ones. Indeed, the event's program says that " Leadership Council members will be invited to join with faculty to examine our plans and ideas. And you will be asked to consider how you can be most helpful to the School in the future." Ka-ching!
So one answer to "Why Erin?" could be that some at Harvard see her as a celebrity magnet whose pizzazzy presence may attract a few participants who might otherwise have skipped the affair. But what about the donors who will be boycotting the meeting, like the president of the American Council on Science and Health, Dr. Elizabeth Whelan? She and others on the Leadership Council's long roster of health experts know the truth about Ms. Brockovich's "science." As a sidebar, we note that the list of people who have received the top honor given by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contains no pop icons or dubious achievers.
Some might argue that Erin Brockovich-Ellis (her married name since 1999) doesn't have to be accurate or even honest in her tort allegations because she is performing the higher service of raising "awareness" about corporate environmental poisoning. With luck, no captains of industry who still are contemplating big gifts to Harvard will stray onto her radar. Yet the public-health school's Web site does say that donor Baer, for instance, "has a particular interest in vaccine research and development." Watch out.
