"Improving" risk communication and risk management: Legislated solutions or legislated disasters?

Abstract

Recently Congress has been moving to enact legislation that enhances the role of risk analysis in policy-making. The various risk-benefit analyses, risk comparisons, and risk characterizations mandated by the bills under consideration may provide valuable data for risk analysts and risk managers. However, we wish to question a central assumption underlying this legislation: that the provision of more information through these procedures will improve risk communication and reduce conflict over risk management.

We agree with our fellow scientists that, all else being equal, more information is better. We would be disturbed if anyone drew from these comments or our research a conclusion that technical information should be withheld from the public. What we object to is the apparent assumption that knowledge about the effectiveness of potential means for conflict resolution is unnecessary for policy.