Narconon, PCBs, and the ASCE

The following information comes from Chris Owen, author of Narconon Exposed:

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

The ASCE is one of the organisations cited on Narconon websites as having published papers supporting L. Ron Hubbard's detoxification methods. The relevant paper is entitled "Occupational, Environmental and Public Health in Semic: A Case Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Pollution" <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/pcb.PDF>. It was published as part of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 1989.

The authors were Ziga Tretjak, Shelley L. Beckmann, Ana Tretjak and Charles Gunnerson. Gunnerson is a Fellow of the ASCE and edited the 1989 publication, "Post-Audits Projects of Environmental Programs", in which the study was published. The Tretjaks were members of the University of Slovenia. By far the most significant participant was Dr. Shelley Beckmann, a prominent Scientologist and Research Director for Narconon International. The case study was conducted in conjunction with the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), a Scientologist-run organisation whose original mission was to "research the efficacy of and promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social problems" and was funded by an unnamed (but most likely Scientology-related) "U.S. non-profit organization". The actual treatment was conducted by Drs. Megan Shields and James Dahlgren in conjunction with R. Michael Wisner. Shields and Wisner are both prominent Scientologists who are energetic campaigners for the wider use of Hubbard's methods - Shields is also the International Medical Advisor for the Narconon network.

The study itself contains a very significant reference, the significance of which lies principally in what is omitted. The text refers to the "Hubbard method" which was "regularly delivered at two centers in California" (which centres and where are not mentioned - possibly Narconon branches?) and references "Hubbard LR. The Technical Bulletins. Vol.12. Bridge Publ. Los Angeles 1980:163-181." The title, as the authors surely knew, is truncated; the full title is "The Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology". It is not hard to work out why the title has been truncated, as giving the full title would have given the game away. Each of the eighteen volumes of the Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology is prefaced with the statement that "This is part of the religious literature and works of the Founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard." One has to ask why "religious literature" is being referenced in a supposedly scientific study.

Does the fact that the ASCE published the study mean that it endorsed it? In fact, Gunnerson's publication is not even about detoxification methods in the first place. According to the ASCE, "Post-Audits of Environmental Programs and Projects" is actually about the process of post-auditing activities, "summarizing experience in methodology, science and technology, economic and financial costs, and potential benefits from post-audits." Other items featured in the publication include "low-flows in the Mississippi River, record flooding around the Great Salt Lake, Utah, marine pollution in Southern California, flood plain protection as practiced by the Corps of Engineers, and water quality management for the North American Great Lakes." Overall, "the volume constitutes a hands-on introduction to post-audits for both practitioners and students." <http://www.pubs.asce.org/BOOKdisplay.cgi?8905010> It is thus the process rather than the individual examples which is the subject of the publication's attention.

Search Google for Claims from Narconon & Scientology regarding the ASCE.


Dave Touretzky
Last modified: Tue Mar 16 11:06:17 EST 2004