HJNO Jul/Aug 2025

MAHA REPORT 34  JUL / AUG 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   contaminants. 237 Elcombe, C. S., Evans, Neil P. & and Bellingham, M. Critical review and analysis of literature on low dose exposure to chemical mixtures in mammalian in vivo systems. Critical Reviews in Toxicology 52, 221–238 (2022). 238 Vermeulen, R., Schymanski, E. L., Barabási, A. L., & Miller, G. W. (2020). The exposome and health: Where chemistry meets biology. Science, 367(6476), 392–396. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay3164. 239 Rappaport SM, Smith MT. Epidemiology. Environment and disease risks. Science. 2010 Oct 22;330(6003):460-1. doi: 10.1126/science.1192603. PMID: 20966241; PMCID: PMC4841276. 240 Taiba, J., Beseler, C., Zahid, M., Bartelt-Hunt, S., Kolok, A., & Rogan, E. (2025). Exploring the joint association between agrichemical mixtures and pediatric cancer. GeoHealth, 9, e2024GH001236. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GH001236. 241 Kassotis, C. D., & Phillips, A. L. (2023). 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Importantly, the Executive Order establishing the MAHA Commission directed the involved agencies to work with farmers to ensure that United States food is the healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable in the world. American farmers are critical partners in the success of the Make America Healthy Again agenda. All the involved agencies are therefore committed to ensuring not just the survival, but the prosperity, of American Farmers. American farmers rely on these products, and actions that further regulate or restrict crop pro- tection tools beyond risk-based and scientific processes set forth by Congress must involve thoughtful consideration of what is necessary for adequate protection, alternatives, and cost of production. Precipitous changes in agricultural practices could have an adverse impact on American agriculture and the domestic and global food supply. The federal government will continue to regularly review the safety of these important crop protection tools. Corporate Influence Scientific Research A significant portion of environmental toxicology and epidemiology studies are conducted by private corporations. 309 Reports in 2023 indicate that the largest pesticide manufacturers spent billions on research initiatives. 310 311 312 313 Limited comparisons between industry- funded research versus non- industry studies have raised concerns over potential biases in industry-funded research. These disparities are potentially due to bias in study design and reporting, along with publication bias favoring positive findings in aca- demic research. 314315 Such biases amplify potential discrepancies in the literature and limit the scientific publication of unfavorable results: • An analysis of a common pesticide found that 50% of non-industry research found it harmful, compared to 18% of industry-funded studies, which also reported fewer significant adverse results (9% vs. 33%). 316 • An analysis of 115 studies before 2005 revealed that 100% of chemical industry-funded studies declared BPA safe, while over 90% of non-industry research identified harm at low doses. 317 318 • Recently analyzed confidential documents from industry leaders revealed that the PFAS industry focused on suppressing unfavor- able research and distorting public discourse, effectively delaying public awareness of its dangers. 319 • Secondary analysis of approximately 2,500 “high production volume”chemicals suggests that further toxicological studies may be necessary to ensure adequate understanding of their potential health effects. 320 321 322 Additionally, some industry leaders have engaged in promoting ghostwriting and spon- sored reviews to influence the scientific literature. Notably, this ghostwriting strategy mirrors tactics used by the tobacco industry to distort scientific consensus. 323 Laws and Regulations Corporate influence stretches beyond extensive involvement in scientific research to include active governmental lobbying: • In 2024, the chemical-manufacturing lobby spent roughly $77 million on federal influence activities—placing the industry among Lousiana ranks 4 out of 56 states/territories nationwide based on total releases per square mile (Rank 1 = highest releases) Source: https://enviro.epa.gov/triexplorer/ tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?pYear=2022& pstate=LA&pParent=NAT