Chamber Calls for Blood Pressure Data

Washington, D.C. — The United States Chamber of Commerce called on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to release all the data behind its recent pronouncement that everyone should lower their salt intake. The Institute recently recommended that cutting back on salt consumption would reduce a person's risk of high blood pressure.

"The Institute's failure to share all scientific data about a serious health issue unlawfully blocks critical information from public view," said Bill Kovacs, U.S. Chamber vice president for environment, technology, and regulatory affairs. "In order for the public — and the business community — to participate in the regulatory process, agencies must disclose the facts."

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute pronouncement that everyone could improve their blood pressure by reducing salt intake followed the publication of an Institute-funded study that established a relationship between salt intake and blood pressure. The Institute's conclusion that the study results apply to all populations cannot be verified or discredited, because certain key data behind the study has not been released.

Withholding data violates the Data Quality Act, according to the Chamber. The ability to reproduce scientific studies and achieve the same conclusions is a critical part of good scientific research — which requires complete and open access to all pertinent data. The Chamber and the Salt Institute have jointly filed a petition seeking full disclosure of the data.

"Conclusions based on undisclosed data call into question the accuracy of the results," said Kovacs. "We have asked the federal government to ensure its agencies meet their obligation to provide information that the public has a right to know."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

# # #

03-86

View the Chamber's petition to NIH.