Did Koop Benefit >From Latex
Maker?
Former U.S. Surgeon General
Dr. C. Everett Koop, who insisted to government officials that latex gloves were
safe, apparently received money from a latex glove
manufacturer.
According to a report in
today's edition of The New York Times, Dr. Koop spokeswoman Mary Beth
Zupa acknowledges that Dr. Koop was paid under a four-year $1 million contract
signed with latex glove maker WRP Corp. in 1994. But Zupa says the contract
didn't last the full four years and it didn't have anything to do with the
company's latex division.
In 1997, Dr.
Koop told the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that latex
gloves did not pose a health risk to workers who used them. Studies have shown
that latex gloves cause allergic
reactions in people who have a sensitivity to latex. Last March, Dr. Koop
testified before Congress that health hazards connected to latex gloves were
exaggerated.
Documents filed at the
Securities and Exchange Commission showed WRP Corp. paid an unidentified
spokesperson $656,250 in consulting fees through February 1997. A representative
from WRP told The New York Times that spokesperson was Dr.
Koop.
Dr. Koop, who served as Surgeon
General for eight years, is one of the most recognizable health experts in the
United States and became well known for his anti-tobacco efforts. Last month,
the 82-year-old physician was criticized by the medical community for blurring
the line between objective information and advertising content on his Web site
DrKoop.com. Medical ethicists also accused him of not fully disclosing his
business connections. Dr. Koop.com is a competitor of
OnHealth.com
