David Kern of Brown University said he was being fired
from both Brown University and Memorial Hospital of Rhode
Island for allegedly breaking a nondisclosure agreement.
Brown had been a consultant for a Rhode Island textile
manufacturer, which two years ago threatened to sue him if
he or his research team presented findings about lung
disease among textile workers.

The company claimed Kern was limited in what he could say by a
nondisclosure agreement. Kern said the agreement did not cover the
research reported, but the university and the hospital agree
with the company, and he will be let go. He made the
statement at a conference on secrecy in science, which is a
growing concern in the scientific community.

Reference: Nadis, S. 1999. U.S. concern grows over secrecy clauses.
Nature 398(6726):359.

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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)