Technology and Risk

Technology and Risk

1. Historical partners in technological evolution

   • Significant impact in the surroundings since 13th century with agricultural activity
   • Real changes in patterns and human activity was made after the industrial revolution
     • People migrated from rural areas to urban cities and economic activity from agriculture to manufacturing

2. Approaches to risk

   • Risk in environmental circles are defined by harm to human health or in the environment
     • Sustainable engeneering and industrial ecology require consideration in both
   • Objective risk
     • Quantitive
       • Data must be treated with caution
   • Subjective Risk
     • Not able to reduce to numbers

3. Risk Assessment

   • Carcinogenic risk to humans
     • Hazard Identification
     • Delivered dose
     • Probability of an undesired effect as a result of the delivered dose
     • Determination of the exposed population
     • Characterization
     • I=NP (d)
       • I: Risk impact
       • N: No. of individuals exposed
       • P (d): Indicated dose will cause the effect
   • CRA: Model for environmental concerns
   • Risk with aesthetic considerations

4. Risk Communications

   • Risk assessment results are given to the community
     • Sometimes the risk is miss-communicated that´s why it needs to be communicated properly
   • Interpretate correctly the scientific data
   • Participants
     • Originator
     • Expert analysts
     • Interest groups
     • Public

5. Risk Managment

   • In this stage the risk has been evaluated and interested parties have been informed
     • Any policy or regulatory action is desirable?
   • Not all risk managment decitions are made by a combination of scientific and economic valuation, it can be cultural