What is a “Reasonable Risk”? Human Health and the BP Oil Spill

Posted on | June 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Mike Magee

On Tuesday, June 22, 2010, the IOM will convene a two day conference at the request of HHS Secretary Sebelius titled: Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. According to the IOM, “During the first day’s sessions, speakers and panelists will discuss the potential adverse health effects for humans stemming from the oil spill for various populations. Public attendees will also have an opportunity to submit questions to, and engage in dialogue with, the speakers and panelists. The second day’s sessions will explore current monitoring activities, the types of research methods and data sources currently available, and questions to consider when developing short- and long-term surveillance and monitoring systems.” (1)

At the end of the first day, I’ll be moderating a 1 hour open mic session where the audience members will have the opportunity to address the challenges of communicating health information in the middle of a disaster. This specific event represents a misread of historic proportions of the benefits of deep sea drilling over the risks of environmental catastrophe.

Tragedies such as the BP Oil Spill always generate a retrospective analysis of risk/benefit decisions that preceded the event. This is not only to make sense of what has occurred, but also to see what steps might prevent it from happening again. This in many ways is similar to what health professionals and health consumers struggle with in their daily efforts to care for each other. Let’s have look at that relationship and see what lessons might be applicable to our present day national challenge.
(CONTINUE….)

Category: BP Oil Spill, environment, environmental health, Gulf Coast, HHS Secretary Sebelius, IOM, New Orleans, Numeracy, Paul Slovic, public health, public policy, Risk and Benefit, Risk Management, Uncategorized

Comments

One Response to “What is a “Reasonable Risk”? Human Health and the BP Oil Spill”

GR Business Online
June 22nd, 2014 @ 2:37 am

I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!!
I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you book-marked to look at new things you post…