Additional publications of interest on the subject of ethics in allergology
Jason Behrmann, McGill University
7 November 2014
The author of the article linked to this comment would like to take this opportunity to indentify two additional manuscripts that are of interest to readers. Dr. David Resnik, a researcher in bioethics, was kind enough to inform me of two additional manuscripts he authored on the topic of ethics and allergy that were missed in my literature review. The following are references and a short description of these manuscripts, provided by Dr. Resnik in an email correspondence:
1) Resnik DB. Environmental Health Ethics (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012).
This book discusses the ethics of clinical trials concerning environmental interventions to reduce asthma (such as home test kits). It also discusses the issue of providing additional protections for individuals with allergies, e.g. peanut allergies. It considers the issue of justice vs. utility. Justice requires additional protections for vulnerable people to ensure that they have fair equality of opportunity in society, but these protections can have significant social and economic costs that must also be considered. For example, a ban on all peanut products in a school because one child has an allergy might not be the best way of dealing with this issue, due to the high costs to others.
2) Resnik DB. Randomized controlled trials in environmental health research: ethical issues. Journal of Environmental Health 2008; 70, 6: 28-31.
This paper focus on randomized controlled trials to promote environmental health, specifically asthma interventions.
Additional publications of interest on the subject of ethics in allergology
7 November 2014
The author of the article linked to this comment would like to take this opportunity to indentify two additional manuscripts that are of interest to readers. Dr. David Resnik, a researcher in bioethics, was kind enough to inform me of two additional manuscripts he authored on the topic of ethics and allergy that were missed in my literature review. The following are references and a short description of these manuscripts, provided by Dr. Resnik in an email correspondence:
1) Resnik DB. Environmental Health Ethics (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012).
This book discusses the ethics of clinical trials concerning environmental interventions to reduce asthma (such as home test kits). It also discusses the issue of providing additional protections for individuals with allergies, e.g. peanut allergies. It considers the issue of justice vs. utility. Justice requires additional protections for vulnerable people to ensure that they have fair equality of opportunity in society, but these protections can have significant social and economic costs that must also be considered. For example, a ban on all peanut products in a school because one child has an allergy might not be the best way of dealing with this issue, due to the high costs to others.
2) Resnik DB. Randomized controlled trials in environmental health research: ethical issues. Journal of Environmental Health 2008; 70, 6: 28-31.
This paper focus on randomized controlled trials to promote environmental health, specifically asthma interventions.
Competing interests
None declared.