Risk and Regulations

I will now take the approach of illustrating how such risks are calculated by using a more familiar threat of harm and even death. I will then apply the risk assessment process to establishing safe levels of exposure. 

How doth the busy little bee Improve each shining hour, 

And gather honey all the day From every opening flower  

My threat is being bitten by a poisonous insect or even spider. I will assume that a single bite is debilitating, or even deadly, and should be avoided wherever possible. This could be either the bite from the lethal Sydney funnel-web spider or from a brown recluse spider or a sting from a common bumblebee when the individual is allergic to it. Unlike some of the chemical risks discussed earlier, where the actual threat to humans is debatable, there is no doubt that venomous pests present a serious health hazard to certain individuals. 

Some readers may be convinced that this approach is reasonable and would feel safe if this density were not exceeded. However, we should now change the perception of this bee sting and add the caveat that if a person is allergic to bees, an additional 10X safety factor should be added. This is pre- 

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William C. Wood, Nuclear Safety Risks and Regulations, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy, Washington, DC, 1983. 

In general, it is mandatory to have some kind of partition between different parts of a building because of fire risks and regulations. These partitions can easily change both the airflow rate and the air distribution if proper preventive measures are not taken. 

They are somewhat controversial with regard to their green credentials among some members of the public, the scientific community, and even other federal agencies [30-32]. They also are assessed for risk and regulated somewhat differently from either conventional chemicals or the other two categories of biopesticides [29]. 

McKinlay, A. F., and Diffey, B. L. (1987) A reference action spectrum for ultraviolet induced erythema in human skin, in W. F. Passchier and B. F. M. Bosnajakovic (eds.). Human Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation Risks and Regulations, Elsevier, New York, pp. 83-87. 

Public perception appears to be focused on the risks rather than the benefits of chemicals production. A pan-European survey found that only 50% of the general public viewed the chemical industry as beneficial to society, whereas 93% consider that chemicals negatively affect human health [78]. Rarely do public debates on chemicals policy discuss the benefits that chemical products provide to society or how to best devise regulation that supports the competitiveness of EU chemical producers. The media eye sees only chemical risks and regulation responds with knee-jerk reactions. Society is faced with complex issues on the sustainability of the chemical industry, not just in terms of maintaining international competitiveness but maximising the potential for the application of innovative chemistry. 

Scheytt, T., Soin, K., Sahlin-Andersson, K. and Power, M. (2006) Organizations, Risk and Regulation, Journal of Management Studies, 43 1333. 

Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (2009) Response with Responsibility. Policymaking for Public Risk in the21st Century, London. 

Lyman, Timothy R., Gautam Ivatury, and Stefan Staschen. 2006. Use of Agents in Branchless Banking for the Poor Rewards, Risks, and Regulation. Focus Note 38. Washington, DC Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest. 

Cushen, M., Kerry, J., Morris, M., Cruz-Romero, M., and Cummins, E. Nanotechnologies in the food industiy-Reeent developments, risks, and regulation. Trends Food Sci. Technol., 24, 30 6 (2012). 

Hutter, B.M. and O Mahony J., 2004. The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Regulating Business. London, ESRC Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation. Discussion Paper available at http //www.lse.ac.uk/ collections/CARR/pdf/Disspaper26.pdf... 

Vasquez Cordano, A.L., Salvador Jacome, J., Garcia Carpio, Fernandez Guzman, V, Assessing risks and regulating safety standards in the oil and gas industry The Peruvian experience. Proceedings of the SPE Latin American and Caribbean Health, Safety, Environment, and Social Responsibility Conference, 2013, pp. 160-175. 

Macrae, C. (2007). Analysing near-miss events Risk management in incident reporting and investigation systems. ESRC Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation Discussion Paper 47, London School of Economics and PoUtical Science, London. 

Engel McCoy, Blind Eye 2043, 2067, 2049 National Commission, Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, 4, 89, 91-92 Congressional Oversight Panel, Special Report, 9, 18 Benton Ives, Risk and Regulation, Cong. Q. Weekly, March 17, 2008, at 678 Rick Brooks Constance Mitchell Ford, The United States of Sub Prime, WSJ, October 11, 2007, at Ai ( 1.5 trillion). 

JAMIE LEAD is Profcssor of Environmental Nanoscience and Risk and Director of the Environmental Nanoscience and Risk SmartState Center at the University of South Carolina, and Adjunct Professor or Environmental Nanoscience and Director of the Facility for Environmental Nanoscience Analysis and Characterisation, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. His research aims to understand both natural and manufactured nanoparticles and their interactions, as well as their fate and impact in the environment and encompasses work from synthesis and characterization to risk and regulation. 

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