Possibility of harm

Since there is no concerted effort to coordinate testing underway in various laboratories of the world, it might be felt that this lack of coordination may cause some important substances to be missed and thereby present the possibility of harm being done to people or the environment. In order to determine if this were so, we undertook an examination of the top 50 chemicals produced in the U.S. This is a list of commercial chemicals selected by CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS as those materials with the largest production. It should be noted that these are distinct substances, not mixtures or petroleum products (Table XI). 

Another approach to risk-based decision-making is the precautionary principle. The risk assessment and risk management approach used in the United States places a heavy reliance on the certainty of the data. The precautionary principle emphasizes that there is always some uncertainty and that decisions should be based on recognizing the possibility of harm. When in doubt, be cautious until adequate data are available to show that there is little potential for harm. Action to reduce exposure to hazardous agents should begin even if there is some uncertainty in the data. 

People would call such situations risky. I suggest that the riskiness of a situation is a measure of the possibility of harm occurring in that situation. The greater the magnitude of the possible harm, or the more possible it is (here the degree of probability comes into play), the more risky the situation. Riskiness differs from risk,... 

Instead of assessing risk, I suggest that we should try to assess riskiness in the everyday sense of this term, where it refers to the epistemic possibility of harm, not merely probabilities of identified types of harm. Whereas risk relates to outcomes, riskiness is a property of a thing, situation or activity and is relative to our knowledge about it. I suggest that what are normally termed precautionary approaches are concerned with riskiness, rather than just risk they are concerned with whether, for all we know, there is a possibility of harm, not just with the probabilities of known, specifiable types of harm. 

Because the potential benefits outweigh the possibilities of harm, many experts recommend a daily multivitamin that does not exceed the RDA of it component vitamins. Multivitamins ensure an adequate intake for those vitamins—folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and vitamin D—that are most likely to be deficient. However, the the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against the use of supplements of vitamins A, C, or E multivitamins with folic acid or antioxidant combinations for the pre vention of cancer or cardiovascular disease. Most experts recommend against the use of p-carotene supplements, either alone or in combina Don, for the prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease. 

In industry analysis for metals in lubricating oils, greases or fuels is important for checking characteristics on delivery or for testing the quality of used lubricants for the purpose of preventing maintenance. In the first case one talks of the determination of metal ions in oils among others, in the second of wear metals, such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sb, Sn and Ti. Metals which may be present in lubricants or fuels, are Al, Ba, Ca, K, Li, Mg, Mo, Na, P, Pb, S, Si, V and Zn [74]. This analytical area is very important because considerable financial considerations are related to the use of the correct lubricants, to the possibility of harmful substances developing in fuel oils (S or V) and also to maintenance. 

When is it permissible to deny some benefits, or put some subjects at risk, for the sake of research and the benefits it promises For example, when is it permissible to perform cost-containment research, and what type of peer review and informed consent is necessary ° This is particularly relevant for pharmacists because many are involved in this type of data collection and analysis. It is possible that some subjects may receive a lower standard of care than that to which they are accustomed. Thus, experimental strategies that reduce services may expose subjects to the possibility of harm without benefit. 

Typical commercial plastics contain a number of low molecular weight additives that develop or maintain particular properties In the plastic. The migration and loss of additives used to prolong the useful life of plastics Is a major mode of failure. The migration of these components also raises the possibility of harmful contamination of food by plastic packaging. 

As thus articulated by the Supreme Court almost 70 years ago, a food ingredient is unlawful if FDA can show a reasonable possibility of harm under actual conditions of use. That standard has since been explicitly adopted by Congress in the legislative history of the FD C Act in 1938 (28-29), reaffirmed by the Supreme Court ( ), and applied consistently by lower courts throughout the country for many years.(30)... 

The plaintiffs in Barfield v. Atlantic Coastline RM.f were workmen involved in transferring oil from a dock to a ship by means of hoses. A latent defect in one of the hoses caused a hose to split, spilling oil and starting a fire. The Court reviewed evidence that the hoses had already undergone extensive tests and inspections and declined to hold the manufacturer liable for additional inspections. The court concluded that additional tests were not practical or economically feasible the possibility of harm had been foreseen and appropriate measures taken. 

Cyclic imines are, however, toxic to experimental animals, and the possibility of harmful effects in humans who consume foodstuffs contaminated with these substances must therefore be evaluated. 

The Warning is given in bold face letter, which means there is the possibility of harming both the person himself and others. 

APCs are supposed to be just what the name says—a cleaner for all household purposes. For this reason manufacturers try to make the cleaning potential as powerful as possible, while trying to keep in check any possibility of harming the surface to be cleaned. After all, cleaning by removing a top layer of the surface is not satisfactory. 

For a risk to arise there must be a hazard that consists of a source or initiator event (i.e., high wave height), a receptor (e.g., cliff top or flood plain properties), and a pathway between the source and the receptor (i.e., flood routes Including defences, overland flow, or landslide). A hazard does not automatically lead to harmful outcome, but identification of a hazard does mean that there is a possibility of harm occurring. 

It is to be noted that the possibility of harm to living tissues by implanted plastics is now foremost in peoples minds so that there seems no point in adding an additional source of tissue damage no matter how remote this possibility may be considered when it is not absolutely necessary. 

The steps outlined in Box 4.17 should be taken in order to minimise the risk of exposure and possibility of harm. Further information regarding ongoing management of these incidents is provided on the HPA website. 

Steps to take in order to minimise the risk of exposure and possibility of harm... 

Safety is defined as The state in which the possibility of harm to persons or of properly is reduced to, and maintained at or below, an acceptable level through a continuing process of hazard identification and safety risk management . See Cir 328- AN/190 supra, note 33 at p. 5. 

Two basic guidelines used in environmental agreements are The Precautionary Principle, ( PP ) and the Common but Differentiated Responsibility Principle ( DR Principle ). The former is a pre emptive measure that addresses possibilities of harm and makes parties to an agreement take measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of such harm even if there is no scientific certainty regarding the harm. The Common but Differentiated Responsibilities principle is enshrined in Principle 7 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development which states ... 

---