'Data Quality' Law Is Nemesis Of Regulation (washingtonpost.com)

a short summary/intro from near the beginning of the article on why a pesticide that has possibly caused hermaphrodite frogs is still able to be used:

"Hormone disruption, it read, cannot be considered a "legitimate regulatory endpoint at this time" -- that is, it is not an acceptable reason to restrict a chemical's use -- because the government had not settled on an officially accepted test for measuring such disruption."

It's a tricky thing to do, even if it is true. Who really knows how much genetic mutation is too much? It is a bit goofy, though, coming from a crowd who claims they don't want to go around playing God. Anyway, crazy how a few extra sentences in a regulation can make all the difference. Though I am sure there is more to this story, it is certainly something to be concerned about--and is just one more example of a drastic change slipped in under the post-9/11 radar by the Bush administration in the interest of combatting all those nasty scientists out there who, unfortunately, are more concerned with the possible genetic mutations in frogs (and maybe, even, someday, humans) than with the ever more important goal of making it possible for a pesticide company to make a buck. If only they could get their priorities straight. Why, they are almost as bad as the terrorists!