Risk Analysis : Prospects and Opportunities

This volume of the series Advances in Risk Analysis consists of papers presented at the 1988 Annual Meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis, which was held October 30 through November 2 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The papers span the gamut of the increasing number of risk assessment topics addressed by the Society since it held its fIrst annual meeting in June 1981, also in Washington DC. Organized to promote interdisciplinary analyses, the Society approaches risks from three broad perspectives: (1) the impact of various risks on the health of the world's populations and on the environment; (2) the social and political implications of specifIc risks, and (3) the management and reduction of risks through the development of a risk analysis methodology and corresponding data bases. The papers included in this volume typify these three approaches and illustrate their interdependence. For example, both cancer and noncancer health risks are examined for a variety of situations that exist within society. The public's perception of risks and the correlation between that perception and the acceptance or nonacceptance of certain risks is also addressed. In addition, the progress to date on predicting and quantifying specifIc risks, including the risks associated with the construction and use of large engineered systems, is reported. Included among the papers are several dealing with recent current issues, such as the impact of California's Proposition 65, hazardous waste disposal, and chemical accidents.