Motherisk debacle: Hospital for Sick Children. Toronto Star says answers are urgently required now because "few areas of public concern involve higher stakes."..."Results of controversial hair-strand testing, checking for drugs and alcohol, have been used in court to send people to jail. In other cases, the findings have been used to label parents unfit and deprive them of their children. But questions swirl around the accuracy of this process, especially analyses performed at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Motherisk lab."

EDITORIAL: "Let's see an interim report on Motherisk mess," published by the Toronto Star on April 24, 2015.

SUB-HEADING: " December is too long to wait for a review of problems with Motherisk testing. An interim report is needed now."

GIST: "Few areas of public concern involve higher stakes. Results of controversial hair-strand testing, checking for drugs and alcohol, have been used in court to send people to jail. In other cases, the findings have been used to label parents unfit and deprive them of their children. But questions swirl around the accuracy of this process, especially analyses performed at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Motherisk lab. Serious doubts have emerged and they’re of vital concern to society. Innocent people’s lives may have been wrecked. So when sound evidence is available on the reliability of this testing, the public should be entitled to see results in a timely manner. That doesn’t appear to be happening in Ontario where an independent review, which was supposed to present findings in June, has now been given until mid-December to produce a report......... Another controversy involving Motherisk concerns financial connections between the program and a drug company called Duchesnay. Mendleson, along with the Star’s David Bruser and Jesse McLean, have revealed a troubling lack of transparency on this front. At least some secrets can be readily cleared away — specifically concerning the immunoassay biochemical method used at Motherisk before 2010. Thanks to Lang’s work so far answers should be at hand. An interim report would not present the full story on hair-strand testing. But it could provide a measure of clarity on a pressing issue that has rocked people’s lives. The public is, at least, entitled to that.

The entire editorial can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/04/24/lets-see-an-interim-report-on-motherisk-mess-editorial.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.
 
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;