Harmonizing Chemical and Radiation Risk-Reduction Strategies: A Science Advisory Board Commentary. D. G. Barnes, Science Advisory Board (1400), US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; and S. L. Brown, Risks of Radiation Chemical Compounds (R2C2), 4700 Grass Valley Road, Oakland, CA 94605-5622
In 1992, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) at the US Environmental Protection Agency (Agency) alerted the Agency Administrator to a conflict in the way that chemical risks were assessed and managed compared to the way radiation risks were assessed and managed. Some of these differences were due to the manner in which risk assessment cultures came into being in the radiation health protection community and the environmental protection community. The differences became more apparent when Agency programs began developing regulations and guidance on problems involving mixtures of chemical and radiation pollutants. The SAB described the essence of the "radiation paradigm" and its "background dose doubling" criterion and contrasted it with the "chemical paradigm" and its 1 in 10,000 criterion. In addition, the SAB pointed out the discord that arises between the two paradigms and the desirability of bringing them into a consistent scheme or, short of that, harmonizing the two approaches so that the public — and the agencies — can appreciate a more rational approach to chemical and radiation health protection.
Go to . . .