Industry funded research explicitly designed to confine harm claims to workers only

Evidence

In addition to being exposed through contaminated air and water supplies, consumers also come into contact with this chemical through a variety of plastic and vinyl products. These include housewares, packaging materials, wire coatings, and automobile upholstery. The MCA agreed to fund an epidemiological study in an effort to show that any adverse health effects are confined to workers handling the chemicals. The study would “hopefully be expected to … confirm that the condition is purely an occupational disease and in no way affects the general public using PVC products” (Nessell, 1967). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1784

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is a prime example of ‘displacement of responsibility’ in Bandura’s framework — the funder controls the research question so the answer is predetermined.