Is the bar for health risks in brownfield development set too high? Environmental attorney Richard Opper thinks so and argues the case in this opinion piece.
The health risk intolerance for brownfield development hovers around one in one million, and is much lower than all other regulatory areas, argues environmental attorney Richard Opper. He provides examples for comparison, including flying on an airplane and being struck by lightening. He continues,
What kind of life risks are comparable to this level of certainty? If we consult a source such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, we are informed that an equivalent risk is the likelihood of any one of us being struck by lightning in any given year.[ii] I have to condition that factoid with the note they provide to the effect that one’s chance of being struck by lightning at some point in your life (assuming you live to be eighty) is 1/13,500. That’s almost getting scary.
For Opper's detailed analysis and argument, please see the source article.
Read the full story: Risky Business – brownfield development in need of reasonable health risk standards
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