Making Cancer Policy

Mark Rushefsky confronts head-on the controversies surrounding federal cancer policy, within the context, however, of a balanced view of the politics and science involved.

From 1976 to 1984, federal agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued guidelines regulating public exposure to chemical carcinogens. These policies have engendered controversy and undergone numerous changes. Some of these are based on new scientific developments, others on new political developments. Making Cancer Policy analyzes the guidelines issued by these agencies in terms of their scientific and political environment. It addresses the issues of uncertainty in the scientific foundation of cancer policy, scientific controversies, the mixing of science and politics, and the political uses of science. This book shows just how “political” science can be.