The purpose of the precautionary principle is that legal requirements are to be made to safeguard against the possible health risks that have not yet been scientifically established. That a risk is not established cannot, therefore, be used as an excuse for not applying the principle. Yet, that rationale is exactly what is happening in the case of the possible health risks from exposure to elec...

The Precautionary Principle provides a framework for action to protect human health and the environment in the face of uncertainty. The central premise of the precautionary principle is that when an activity poses threats of serious, irreversible harm to human health or the environment, we should act to prevent that damage – even if science has not fully worked out the details of the relevant c...

The paper attempts to clarify the research, management and legal implications of a potential application of the Precautionary Principle to capture fisheries, particularly in the international context. In the process, the paper also looks at related issues such as the burden of proof, the use of best available scientific evidence and technology, the reliance on prior scientific consensus, assimi...

The precautionary principle calls for preventive actions in the face of uncertain information about risks. It serves as a compass to better guide more health-protective decisions in the face of complex risks. Applying precaution requires thinking more broadly about risks, taking an interdisciplinary approach to science and policy, and considering a wide range of alternatives to potentially harm...

The precautionary principle, presented as a guide to environmental policy decisions in the presence of uncertainty, has been the subject of vigorous debate. However, the has generally not been discussed in relation to formal theories of choice under uncertainty developed as generalizations of the expected utility model. In this paper, it is argued that a formal basis for the precautionary princ...

How to cite this article: Huber, W., 2012, ‘After Fukushima: The precautionary principle revisited’, Verbum et Ecclesia 33(2), Art. #736, 6 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ ve.v33i2.736 Etienne de Villiers, more than other theologians, elaborates on basic elements of a Christian ethics of responsibility. He distinguishes between retrospective and prospective responsibility. The prospective asp...

In the past two centuries, despite — or is it because of ? —economic growth and technological change, life threatening risks have one by one been reduced or eliminated in the world’s richer nations (Goklany 2007). The 20th century saw the United States’ population multiply by four, income by seven, carbon dioxide emissions by nine, material use by 27, and chemical use by more than 100. Yet peop...

While for substances that may be detrimental to health if incorporated through the skin, or by inhalation or ingestion precautionary procedures have been developed in the past decades that are applied in a transparent and standardised way by health authorities, public health agencies and international organisations in order to protect the public from a potential health hazard, no such procedure...

The precautionary principle that calls for early measures to avoid and mitigate uncertain environmental damages (and health hazards) in the future has come to the fore in risk debates. This paper evaluates three criticisms which have been presented in academic discourses, in political arenas, and also in public discussions in order to reject the principle altogether. In particular, the criticis...

The health care industry makes a unique contribution to the potential public health and environmental impacts of sewage sludge production and disposal. As materials flow into and out of health care facilities, potentially hazardous substances, like mercury, solvents, and pharmaceutical compounds, are introduced into the waste stream and ultimately into sewage sludge. Although the hazards posed ...