General concepts of Environmental Health Precautionary Principal

Precautionary Principal “When an activity raises threats of harm to the human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically”

Precautionary Principal Taking precautionary action in the face of scientific uncertainty of harm Placing the burden of proof of safety on the proponents of an activity, than than requiring the victims to prove they were harmed after the activity commences

Precautionary Principal Seeking safer alternatives to potentially harmful activities Seeking public participation in the decision-making regarding science and technology

Risk Management and the Precautionary Principle Matching the real risk with the perceived risks takes time and data, what side to err on? Perceived Results in: Actual < Choices may be made that put the public in danger Development or a new process may be delayed while tests are being done to determine safety Ideal but we rarely have a perfect match, we always have incomplete data > =

Full Cost Accounting when doing a cost/benefit ratio Traditional economic costs already in the equation (jobs, tax credits, growth, etc) Ecosystem Service cost Must include the costs of human lives, but what is a life worth? What is the cost of an asthma attack, the hard costs of the medical care, but what about the emotional costs and long term consequences on growth and development

When making public policy choices we need to examine the full costs of our choices Short term direct costs to humans and ecosystem Long term costs to humans and the ecosystem Irreversible losses like genetic biodiversity Costs that you can not but a value on like fertility, human suffering, risk of war or ethnic conflict due to resource inequity

Ecosystem Services A service that is provided for “free” if the ecosystem is protected The value of this service needs to be considered as part of the value of maintaining an intact ecosystem Examples: Marshes and flood control, or forests and water quality