Document X68njxnbq3jJ8JdONXnj8Zxy

Shanghai Health Study Patsy Clegg Oversight Committee Chair 1220 L Street, NW Washington, D. C., 20005 July 19,2005 Dr. Myron Mehlman 7 Bouvant Drive Princeton, NJ 08540 Dear Dr. Mehlman, As chair ofthe Shanghai Health Study Oversight Committee, it has come to my attention that you sent letters to various executives ofthe companies sponsoring the study. This independent scientific study being conducted in Shanghai, China is sponsored by a group of companies who have a strong commitment to public health, safety and product stewardship. With the Shanghai Health Study, the sponsors seek to advance the medical and scientific knowledge about any disease process or potential health risk from exposure to benzene. Continued scientific investigation is recognized by the scientific and medical communities as the basis for effective assessments of the toxicity and potential health risk of substances such as benzene. The present study was designed by preeminent scientists independent ofthe sponsoring companies and is being conducted by Principal Investigators who are research scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai, the University of Colorado Health Services Center and Applied Health Sciences, an independent research finn in San Francisco. The research is being overseen by scientific and ethics review panels composed of 14 world-renowned, independent experts in relevant fields. The independent Principal Investigators conducting the study have full responsibility for the research as well as any conclusions that may be drawn from the data when the study is completed. It is my understanding that upon completion the researchers intend to submit study findings for pUblication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Sincerely, SH ELL-MCCLU RG-062387