The morals of risk assessment

Abstract

Risk assessment of occupational cancer is in itself a hazardous occupation, involving not only assessment of animal experiments, extrapolations to humans, and human population studies, but also consideration of the political and economic factors. Cause and effect relationships are confounded by many variables in both human and animal studies. Realistic assessment should also include technology feasibility studies. “Potency” may be a spurious argument for controlling “potent” carcinogens and not “weak” carcinogens, which have the same potential. Risk assessment is not aimed at individual health outcomes; nevertheless, individual risks have to be taken into account.