Susan Shaw highlights decades of industry delays and cover-ups, starting with tobacco, to protect vested interests at the expense of public health. Drawing on a 30-year career as an environmental scientist, explorer, author, and ocean advocate, Shaw spoke about the impact of the “raging” war on science. Science for the public good always wins out in the end, but always after a long battle with many casualties. Dr. Susan D. Shaw is an environ- mental health scientist, explorer, author, and ocean advocate. She is Founder/Director of the Marine & Environmental Research Institute, and Professor, School of Public Health, SUNY-Albany.
Shaw is a globally recognized expert on the health effects of environmental chemical exposure. Over three decades, her game- changing research has fueled protective public policy nationally and globally. Her 1983 book, OverExposure, written with landscape photographer Ansel Adams, exposed the health hazards of photographic chemicals. An outspoken voice on ocean pollution, Shaw dove into the 2010 BP oil spill and influenced the national debate on the dangers of dispersant chemicals. Currently, she leads an international team addressing the compound threat of climate change and pollution across three oceans.