March 16, 2009

In my final years of grad school (PhD '73), I  gravitated to environmental science & politics, did my dissertation in that area, & after a post-doc at Caltech, worked at the NAS in Washington in Environmental Studies for five years, then had a long career at Consumers Union. CU runs the world's largest independent consumer product testing labs, publishes Consumer Reports magazine, and is an activist lobbying organization on health, safety and other consumer issues. For 25 years I was a senior scientist and manager there, directing tests, working with the editors and supporting advocacy. It was a perfect niche for me, combining science, journalism and activism. Over the years, I helped get lead out of gasoline and food cans, helped make Alar a household word (my 15 minutes of most intense fame), dealt with dozens of food safety and product hazard issues, both here and internationally.  I retired in 2004 and do a little consulting, mostly on environmental health issues.

Ned Groth