Comparative Risk Assessment – Concepts, Problems and Applications

Holger Schutz a senior scientist in the MUT (Man, Environment and Technology) Program Group at the Julich Research Center, focusing on risk perception and risk communication, comparative assessment of environmental health risks and evidence assessment. Peter M. Wiedemann is the Director of the MUT Program Group and also teaches at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He was elected President of the Society for Risk Analysis - Europe and served on the WHO task force on risk communication, the Scientific Expert Group of the National Action Program "Environment and Health", and on the EMF Communication Group of the WHO EMF Project. He has extensive experience in societal conflicts over modern technologies with a focus on risk communication and conflict resolution. Wilfried Hennings is a member of the MUT Program Group, whose current research centers on methods for assessing technological risks. He received his diploma in electrical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University. Johannes Mertens is a member of the MUT Program Group, who received his PhD in physics from the RWTH Aachen University. His recent research is on the assessment and management of technological risks. Martin Clauberg is a lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and also Sr. Risk/Science Consultant & Founder of Dr. Clauberg-Consulting, Germany & US. He has been a visiting scientist at the Julich Research Center and at the National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC, as well as Human Health Risk Assessor & Risk Assessment Team Leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

INTRODUCTION CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS Risk Danger/ Potential for Damage - Hazard Incertitude and Uncertainty Risk Assessment Risk Evaluation Risk Comparison Risk Management Risk Regulation Risk Communication CRA IN PRACTICE CRA's Political Environment Projects Case Studies THE EMPIRICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CRA A Starting Point for Risk Comparisons Risk Comparisons as a Means of Risk Communication Procedural Challenges CRA Negotiations under Conflict CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR AN INTEGRATED COMPARATIVE RISK EVALUATION Methodological Problems of a CRA Methodology of Comparative Risk Evaluation THE PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF CRA Limits of Comparability Goals of a Comparative Evaluation of Risks Participation Models CRA Participants The Sequence of Events in a CRA The Organization of Communication APPENDIX Risk Metrics Multiattribute Comparative Risk Evaluation (MCRA) Comparative Evaluation of Unclear Risks The Comparative Evaluation of the Risks of Hazardous Incidents Bibliography