Public misperception of radiological risk consistently directs
limited resources toward managing minimal or even phantom risks at
great cost to government and industry with no measurable benefit to
overall public health. The public's inability to comprehend small
theoretical risks arrived at through inherently uncertain formulae,
coupled with an irrational push to eliminate all risk with no
contextual understanding of overall benefit, results in a
forfeiture of valuable advances in technology in favor of an
illusion of safety.
Radiation Risks in Perspective uses general concepts underlying
radiological risk as a model to illuminate the fundamental problems
in public perception, reaction, and policy when faced with possible
health risks. Presenting three distinct themes, the author
summarizes the causes for the failure of the current system and
proposes methods for correction. Beginning with a discussion of the
methods used to measure threat, the author weighs the nebulous
assessment ofrisk with the use of a quantifiable assessment of
hazardous dose, which uses actual numbers that the public can
readily understand and that decision makers can confidently use to
enact policy and measure success.
Secondly, the author addresses the contextual balancing of cost
versus benefit when prioritizing expenditure, specifically
emphasizing that it is inappropriate to analyze and discuss
individual risks without regard to the presence of other risks.
Finally, the author analyzes the public's tendency to push toward
zero risk tolerance, an extremist approach that leads to
unreasonable restrictions on technologies, excessive regulatory
compliance costs, and the ultimate loss of goods and services.
With detailed explanations and illustrative case studies,
Radiation Risks in Perspective offers scientists, lawyers,
engineers, policy makers, and public health professionals, the
skills they need for a rational evaluation of risk.
General
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