California in Brief : BERKELEY : Scientists Harassed, Lawyer Charges

An attorney for an organization that protects government whistle-blowers accused federal officials of harassing scientists studying how selenium may damage the environment in the American West. Ed Slavin, an attorney for the Washington-based Government Accountability Project, said Department of the Interior officials are attempting to suppress through harassment and censorship selenium data gathered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists. Selenium is a trace element found in Western soils that is often concentrated and flows downstream after land has been flood-irrigated. Scientists maintain selenium concentration is causing severe deformities in bird populations near Kesterson Reservoir in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley and other areas. Slavin said officials in Washington have censored papers and demoted a scientist who leaked information about bird deformities to the press.