The draft report was posted on a 'members only' page of the society's Web site (www.toxicology.org). Not surprisingly, it circulated more generally by E-mail and made its way onto the Internet.
According to society secretary Kendall Wallace of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, "any member can suggest to the council a topic to consider" for study. Once the council, composed of the society's elected officials, approves the suggestion, it asks appropriate sections to nominate experts to serve on a working group. In this case, the group consisted of six participants—they met for the first time a year ago—with Wallace acting as society liaison. The council Okayed the preliminary draft for posting to the membership.
Wallace concedes that biotechnology is a controversial topic, but that didn't keep the poison mavens from tackling it. "If we are a leading force in toxicology science, it was incumbent upon us to make a statement," ...
