A toolbox for health risk related decisions
Development efforts since the late 1970s have resulted in a generalized method for ranking health hazards. This method provides the basis for a wide range of applications where decisions are needed for allocating resources on the basis of health risk considerations. It has been used for more than a decade to solve real problems, and it is supported by 23 publications in the open literature. The diversity of this generalized methodology allows us to provide support in a great number of problem areas. we give four examples in this manuscript: the relative toxicities of petroleum mixtures; a method to derive Emergency Response Planning Guides; an estimate of the possible carcinogenic potency of tungsten, an alternative material to depleted uranium for heavy armor penetrators; and an approach to low dose extrapolation. Our experience suggests that many more applications of the original concept and variations on it can be of utility in military situations. Some potentially fruitful areas may be in the: development of a health-risk-ranking system for alternative solutions to manufacturing, waste management, and remediation; provision of a basis for identifying levels of hazardous agents which are below health concerns, or which should be of concern; development of a framework for evaluating chemicals and radioactive materials on the same basis, and in the development of a battery of in vitro bioassays which could take the place of long-term whole animal tests.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 395607
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9605208-2; ON: DE96014700
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Tri-service environmental technology workshop, Hershey, PA (United States), 20-22 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
APPLIED STUDIES
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
HEALTH HAZARDS
EMERGENCY PLANS
TOXINS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
TUNGSTEN
DECISION MAKING
TOXICITY
PETROLEUM
MIXTURES
CARCINOGENS
EARTH PENETRATORS
DEPLETED URANIUM
BIOASSAY
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
DOSE LIMITS
DOSE RATES
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS