Tradeoffs of chemicals regulation - The science and tacit knowledge of decisions

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 794; p. 148566
• Main Authors: Hanekamp, Jaap C., Calabrese, Edward J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 10-11-2021
• Subjects: Glyphosate; Philosophy of science; Precaution; REACH; Regulatory trade-offs; Value of statistical life (VSL); REACH; Precaution; Regulatory trade-offs; Philosophy of science; Value of statistical life (VSL); Glyphosate
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148566

In this paper, we want to shed light on the tradeoffs of chemicals regulation. We will discuss two types of tradeoffs: the social-economic impacts of regulation such as cost-induced fatalities and the tradeoffs between ‘old’ and ‘new’ chemicals, that is the established chemicals in industry and society deemed in need of replacement with ‘new’ chemicals. We will show that the progression from the science of chemicals risk assessment to regulation requires the science of regulatory (economic) analyses, with added insight from the philosophy of science. Indeed, risk assessment as such, which is significantly driven but is not limited to the broad toxicological context, does not unescapably dictate regulatory choices. The science of regulatory and economic analyses, we believe, could add considerably to the science of toxicology in a combined effort to improve upon the protection of public health and the environment.
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•The philosophy of the science in risk assessments is crucial in decision making.•The risk management paradigm needs a precise and rigorous divide between hazard and risk.•Chemicals regulation has critical risk tradeoffs in the social-economic sphere.•Substitution programs underestimates tacit and formal/codified knowledge of ‘old’ chemicals.