Springer Management of Health Risks from Environment and Food: Policy and Politics of Health Risk Management in Five Countries -- Asbestos and BSE: 16 (Alliance for Global Sustainability Bookseries, 16)

This book examines the policy and politics of two health risks which have recently become prominent social issues in many countries. One is the issue of asbestos as an environmental risk to humans, and another is that of bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE). Review From the reviews:“The book is based on a huge research project entitled, ‘Strategic Management of Health Risks’ (2005-09), for which the editor was the chief investigator. This work was funded by the prestigious Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS). … the audience will include policymakers and presenters as well as scientists and engineers. … This book details both successes and failures in health risk management.” (J. Thomas Pierce, Doody’s Review Service, October, 2011) From the Back Cover This book examines the policy and politics of two health risks, which have recently become prominent social issues in many countries. One is the issue of asbestos as an environmental risk to humans, and another is that of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease as an animal disease, and of its variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) as a human food risk. Employing a set of analytical frameworks in political science, each case study explores how the issues emerged, agendas got set, alternatives were chosen, and policies were implemented. Through the analysis, it is examined how safety and public reassurance were pursued in the countries studied (Japan, the UK, France the USA, and Korea). Exploration of the successes and failures in their efforts discloses the key elements to successful health risk management.