Response to Dr. Bernard D. Goldstein’s Letter to the Editor

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Michael Thirman (Hematologist, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center) for reviewing and commenting on the Letter prior to submission. Dr. Thirman, a hematologist, expert in leukemia research and treatment, served as an independent consultant, and kindly provided his services pro bono.

Declaration of interest

Authors: The discussion, interpretations and conclusions reflected in this Letter to the Editor are solely those of the authors and may not reflect those of their employers or the sponsors. We believe that there are no conflicts of interest for any of the authors to disclose related to preparing this Letter in response to Dr. Goldstein’s comments regarding our earlier publication.

Most of the authors (K.A.M., A.E.G., L.D.D. and P.R.G.) are full-time employees of Ramboll US Corporation (Ramboll) and contributed to this Letter as part of their normal employment. Ramboll is a consulting firm providing diverse services including environmental and health sciences matters to private firms, trade organizations, and government agencies. Dr. Boffetta (Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology; Professor of Oncological Sciences and Professor of Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York) and Dr. Natelson (Hematologist/Oncologist at Houston Methodist Hospital) served as independent consultants and contributed substantively, pro bono, to the Letter, specifically addressing comments pertaining to the precursors and predictors of leukemia, as well as the clinical diagnosis of leukemia.

None of the authors has appeared as expert in any formaldehyde litigation or is involved with or appeared in regulatory proceedings related to the contents of this Letter or the original article. It is anticipated, however, that regulatory authorities will consider the original study in making regulatory decisions relevant to the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde.

Additional information

Funding

This letter was prepared with partial financial support from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), and Hexion, Inc., a leading manufacturer of thermoset resins, based in Columbus, Ohio USA. Neither ACC nor Hexion, Inc. had any role in preparing this Letter, and had no access to Dr. Goldstein’s Letter to the Editor or this response prior to publication.