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Hazard, Risk, Benefit

Hazard, Risk, Benefit. Stairs are a HAZARD. RISK is likelihood of injury Often expressed as a fraction (1 in a million). Pesticides / Fungicides. Hazard Measured in a lab

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Hazard, Risk, Benefit

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  1. Hazard, Risk, Benefit

  2. Stairs are a HAZARD RISK is likelihood of injury Often expressed as a fraction (1 in a million)

  3. Pesticides / Fungicides • Hazard • Measured in a lab • How much substance is needed to kill or injure an experimental animal

  4. Benefit • More food (less loss (growing, storing)) • Better looking food – not as many blemishes • More acceptable to consumers – less loss

  5. Risk • This is the real world – what is important

  6. Approximately 250 basic chemicals made by more than 50 companies are registered for use as pesticides in food and feed production in the United States. • More than a quarter of a million U.S. children aged 1–5 ingest a combination of 20 different pesticides every day. • Overall, 20 million children aged 5 and under eat an average of 8 pesticides every day.

  7. Pesticide use has increased 50-fold since 1950, and 2.5 million tons of industrial pesticides are now used each year. • Some 610,000 children aged 1–5 consume a dose of neurotoxic organophosphate insecticides that the government deems unsafe. • More than half of these unsafe exposures are from one pesticide—methyl parathion.

  8. methylparathion - use is legally prohibited. • Pesticide highly toxic to humans and birds (EPA, 1997). Methylparathion is only allowed to be used on certain open agricultural fields • it is legally prohibited to use methylparathion inside buildings (EPA, 1997). • Based on a report by the Texas Department of Health however, researchers indicated that 25% of the residents in their study region were illegally using methylparathion

  9. Mississippi 1996 • More than 1500 homes and businesses in Mississippi were sprayed with methyl parathion by unlicensed pest control operators over a two-year period ending in November 1996. • The spraying resulted in the temporary relocation of more than 1100 people. • Local veterinarians reported deaths of household animals due to methyl parathion exposure. • Eight day-care centres, one restaurant and two hotels that were sprayed were closed, and extensive clean-up operations had to be undertaken.

  10. 2,4-D is the most commonly used herbicide in Canada. It was a major component of Agent Orange, and is still used in over 1,500 lawn-care products (including Killex and Weed ‘n Feed). Cancer in dogs has been linked to their owners’ use of 2,4-D • Sierra Club, 2008

  11. 21,000 Canadians died in 2008 with links to air pollutionCanadian Medical Association 2008 • Combination of short – and long- term exposure • Cumulative deaths by 2031 will hit 800,000 • Vast majority will be people over 65 • Heart and lung conditions (pressure from contaminants

  12. Pollution this year • Economy and Health-care systems – about $8 BILLION this year (medical costs and lost productivity) • Total loss by 2031 - > 250 billion • Based on a conservative assumption that air pollution will not increase in the future • Canada one of first nations to track these associated deaths

  13. Everything that we do exposes us to hazards • It is HOW we do things that determines the risk • So Risk and Benefit are more difficult to define (and measure) • Personal viewpoints should be important • Who benefits?

  14. Ethics • What should we do about - climate change? • Not all ‘should do’ questions are ethical • But the question of doing something about climate change is ethical because it involves choices • People have conflicting interests

  15. The better-off among us (nations) – Canadians will have to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases • This will save future generations from the chance of a hotter world • BUT – how do we evaluate the well-being of future generations versus our well-being (especially as they are more likely to have more material goods than we do)

  16. Do we spend now to prevent? • Do we spend in the future to correct? • If there is a problem

  17. Do we spend or not?If so ‘How Much’ • Spending involves sacrifice • Jobs, taxes, slowing of development

  18. Most of this is common sense • Elementary principle that you should not do something for your own benefit if it harms another person

  19. If rainfall changes its pattern (amount, timing, location) • Local food supplies will be affected • Supplies of safe drinking water will change • Large scale migration of people could be a response • Large heat wave in Europe (2003) – est 350,000 deaths • WHO – average no. deaths per year from climate change – 150,000

  20. Hoover Dam/Lake Mead 2008

  21. All of us contribute • Driving a car or taking public transit • Using electrical power • Buying anything that has been manufactured and/or transported • Drinking bottled water • These all contribute to the generation of greenhouse gases (contribute to climate change)

  22. Not a simple matter of weighing benefits and costs • Can we even get the benefits and costs?

  23. ATTITUDE

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