Philosophy of Toxicology

East Palestine Lesson 2: Uncertainty and Communications

Uncertainty. People do not like uncertainty. Unfortunately, it's a fact of life, and it's unavoidable in science. I recently talked about uncertainty and the fact that...

East Palestine Lesson 1: It’s About Mixtures, Not Single Chemicals!

Let me be clear: emergency response is hard. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made in an equivalent of the...

Stats Misinformation: Statistical Power Doesn’t Matter If the p-value < 0.05

There is a lot of persistent misinformation in statistical analysis. But the one I run into most often of late is this: Post hoc Statistical...

On Thinking Ethically

I remember my last research ethics "class" quite vividly. I was at Michigan State University working on my Ph.D. And a very senior scientist...

No, Hair Relaxers and Straighteners Aren’t Associated with Uterine Cancer Risk

NIEHS said, "omen who used chemical hair straightening products were at higher risk for uterine cancer compared to women who did not report using...

Industry PFAS Study Makes Misleading (False?) Claim About Statistical Power

Here's the deal -- statistical power is kinda important. It probably seems esoteric. It sounds weird. For some reason, maybe because I watched cartoons...

Skittles Maker Sued Based in Part Based on Study in Questionable Journal

The class action lawsuit, Thames vs Mars, Inc, where Jenile Thames is suing the maker of skittles candies, is based on the European Commission's...

P-Values: The Most Powerful and Irresponsibly Used Statistic in Science

It's safe to say, when you boil it down, almost all of my clients come to me because of p-values. Sometimes it's because a...

Critical Tox Theory: Ethics and Funding Sources

I recently read an article in the American Journal of Public Health where Briggs and Vallone argue that industry scientists, especially scientists funded by...

Latest articles