IAOH denies industry influence

Our plain-English summary of IAOH denies industry influence, by S.M. Shanbhag (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2008).

The study

• Author: S.M. Shanbhag
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Published: 2008;14(2):159
• Type of article: Letter, Comment
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a letter to the editor, not a research study, and it reports no data on asbestos exposure or disease. The president of the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH) wrote it in reply to an earlier letter in the same journal by Dr. Tushar Kant Joshi about industry influence on the IAOH. The author called the issues Dr. Joshi raised "baseless and blatantly false." The author stated that the IAOH, a not-for-profit group with more than 2800 members, depends on sponsorships and donations but does not accept sponsorship from makers of harmful products like tobacco. According to the letter, after 2003, when the association's Central Council decided to support the Ban Asbestos movement, branches hosting conferences were directed not to accept sponsorships from companies dealing with asbestos. The author added that the association's journal had published an editorial supporting a ban on asbestos and a 2002 editorial by Dr. Joshi on banning all forms of asbestos use in India. The author also questioned Dr. Joshi's motives and criticized the journal for printing the earlier letter without seeking a response from the IAOH.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Letter to the editor (a reply to another letter); not a research study
• Who was studied: No study population. The letter concerns the Indian Association of Occupational Health, described as having more than 2800 members in 24 branches across India.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The letter discusses whether the association accepts sponsorship from companies, including companies dealing with asbestos.
• Main results:
  • The author stated that the IAOH denies the issues raised in Dr. Joshi's letter and called them baseless and false.
  • The author stated that the IAOH, as a not-for-profit organization, depends on sponsorships and donations.
  • The author stated that the association does not accept sponsorships from corporations that manufacture harmful products like tobacco.
  • According to the letter, after 2003, when the Central Council decided to support the Ban Asbestos movement, all branches hosting conferences were directed not to accept sponsorships from companies dealing with asbestos.
  • The author stated that the association's journal had published an editorial supporting the banning of asbestos.
  • The author stated that the association's journal had also published, in 2002, an editorial by Dr. Joshi on the need to ban all forms of asbestos use in India.
  • The author suggested that Dr. Joshi was driven by self-interest in writing the earlier letter.
  • The author criticized the journal for printing Dr. Joshi's letter without seeking a response from the IAOH.
• The authors' conclusion: The author wrote that the association believes scientific deliberation is the right way forward and does not believe in sensationalizing or politicizing occupational health issues.

Related studies

• Industry influence on IAOH — T.K. Joshi (2008)
• The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and its influence on international organizations — N.A. Ashford, B. Castleman, et al. (2002)
• IARC in the dock over ties with asbestos industry — D. Holmes (2013)
• Controversies at international organizations over asbestos industry influence — B.I. Castleman (2001)
• Job tasks, potential exposures, and health risks of laborers employed in the construction industry — G. Burkhart, P.A. Schulte, et al. (1993)
• The silence: the asbestos industry and early occupational cancer research--a case study — D.E. Lilienfeld (1991)

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