Genna Reed

Science and policy analyst, Center for Science and Democracy

Author image
Genna Reed is a science and policy analyst in the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her role, she researches political and corporate influences on science-informed decision making—working to inform the public about issues where science is stifled or obscured, and to ensure that federal, state, and local policies are based on rigorous, independent science. See Genna's full bio.

Subscribe to Genna's posts

Genna's Latest Posts

PFAS Contamination at Military Sites Reveals a Need for Urgent Science-based Protections

September 25, 2018 12:08 PM EDT

A new UCS factsheet released today looks at PFAS contamination at military bases, revealing that many of the sites have levels of these chemicals in their drinking or groundwater at potentially unsafe levels. PFAS, or poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances, have been used in everything from Teflon pans, to nonstick food packaging, to water-repellent raingear for decades. Only recently has it been revealed to the general public that these compounds are seeping into our waterways and causing health issues in people who are exposed to the chemical at elevated levels over time.

Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Strong Leadership Makes for Satisfied Federal Scientists: A Case Study at the FDA

August 15, 2018 6:06 PM EDT

As our research team was analyzing the results of our newest federal scientist survey that was released earlier this week, it was heartening to see that at some agencies, like at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the job satisfaction and ability to work appear to be even better than in years past. One of the best characterizations of the sentiments expressed by FDA scientists is this quote from a respondent: “The current administration has overall enforced certain science policies which harm the public in general. However, the current commissioner is fantastic and committed to the FDA’s mission. He is consistently involved in policy development which allows the protection and promotion of public health.” Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Photo: Valentina Powers/CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)

Happy 10th Birthday to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act!

August 14, 2018 12:30 PM EDT

Since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) became law, it has done a number of things to protect children from exposure to lead in toys and other items, improved the safety standards for cribs and other infant and toddler products, and created the saferproducts.gov database so that consumers have a place to go for research on certain products or reporting safety hazards and negative experiences. Today, along with a group of other consumer and public health advocacy organizations, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the passage of this law. I am especially grateful that this act was passed a decade ago, as both a consumer advocate and an expecting mom. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Photo: Will Fuller/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Flickr)

Science Prevails in the Courts as Chlorpyrifos Ban Becomes Likely

August 9, 2018 5:36 PM EDT

Today, children, farmworkers, and the rest of us won big in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, as the court ordered EPA to finalize its proposed ban of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Ultimately, the judge determined that EPA’s 2017 decision to refuse to ban the chemical was unlawful because it failed to justify keeping chlorpyrifos on the market, while the scientific evidence very clearly pointed to the link between chlorpyrifos exposure and neurodevelopmental damage to children, and further risks to farmworkers and users of rural drinking water. Read more >

Photo: Will Fuller/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Flickr)
Bookmark and Share

Photo: Bradley Gordon/Flickr

Intimidation, Disinformation, the Formula Industry and the Next Dietary Guidelines

July 12, 2018 10:04 AM EDT

It’s nearly time for the federal government to update its Dietary Guidelines for the public, and this time around the recommendations will include legally mandated dietary guidance for pregnant women, infants, and toddlers (from birth to age 24 months). With that in mind, my colleagues and I were troubled to read of a dust-up over infant formula that occurred at the World Health Organization this past spring.

Read more >

Photo: Bradley Gordon
Bookmark and Share