Uncertainty is an inherent problem of science, but manufactured uncertainty isanother matter entirely. Over the past three decades, industry groups have frequently become involved in the investigative process when their interests arethreatened. If, for example, studies show that a company is exposing its workers to dangerous levels of a certain chemical, the business typically respondsby hiring its own researchers to cast doubt on the studies. Or if a pharmaceutical firm faces questions about the safety of one of its drugs, its executives trumpet company sponsored trials that show no significant health risks whileignoring or hiding other studies that are much less reassuring. The vilification of threatening research as ''junk science'' and the corresponding sanctification of industry-commissioned research as ''sound science'' has become nothing less than standard operating procedure in some parts of corporate America.
