IMPROVING RESEARCH AND REGULATORY PRIORITIES
FOR LOW-LEVEL RISKS

Background

Over the past decade, public concern about risks from low-level
exposures to agents known to be toxic in high concentrations

has led to increasing regulation of such exposures. While
regulation of some typical low-level risks, such as air
pollutants and ionizing radiation, has had a significant impact
on operations of the electric utility industry for a number

of years, other low-level agents have been coming under regu-
latory control. We expect that during the coming decade, the
costs to industry of controlling public and occupational exposure
to potentially hazardous agents, such as chemicals and perhaps

electromagnetic radiation, will rise sharply.

Based on the existing approach to the control of such risks, for
example in the regulation of exposures to carcinogens in the
food supply and in the work place, it is our impression that a
coherent national policy for risk management has not yet emerged,
and that the present approach is often inconsistent, unpredict-
able, and poor in its use of available scientific information.

It is our concern that a continuation of present approaches
would lead to substantial uncertainties in the assessment of

the merit of alternative energy technologies by industrial
management, and inefficient use of financial resources nationally,
as well as possibly resulting in an unwise distribution of

risks among our population.

Approach

These public health issues extend to many public organizations
in addition to industries, so it appears desirable to approach
the social management of low-level risks in a general but
systematic way. For this reason, we seek the recommendations
from a small group of prominent experts in a variety of fields
relating to the management of these risks. Our initial step
is to hold a small workshop, with 25 or fewer people, to
address the following questions:

1. What is wrong with the present methods of controlling
low-level health risks?

2. What are the key constraints, (e.g., economic,
scientific, political, institutional) to improvement
in these methods?

3. What characteristics would an ideal system for
controlling these risks have?

4. What improvements are feasible?

5. Where can research help?

6. Should there be a national research plan and how
should responsibilities be allocated?

7. What should be the next step?

8. What can this group do?
The invited participants should be prepared to give their

views on these and related questions.

This workshop is intended to provide guidance for establishing
research programs in the following general areas:
I. Risk Evaluation:
1. Improved data base for and methods of risk estimation.
2. Criteria for interpreting risk estimates.
Ex: Voluntary vs involuntary; background vs
man~made.
Ii. Risk Management:
1. Economic forces
Ex: Product performance;
liability;
insurance.
2. Regulation
3. Social value criteria for tradenoffs and choice of
risk management methods.
Ex: Health, economic welfare, physical security,

equity.

The workshop discussions will be chaired by designated partici-
pants, and attending staff members will distill the comments

to provide a summary of the ideas developed.