Karim Bschir discusses scientific uncertainty in environmental decision-making

Science and Engineering Ethics has published a paper by Branco Weiss fellow Karim Bschir in which he argues for a use of the precautionary principle in scientific-model building. Bschir discusses the topic in the context of the threshold of the toxicological concern (TTC) approach in food toxicology that is used for the evaluation of potential risks of incidental low-dose substances.

The paper argues that a feasible science-based risk assessment tool should be able to inform us what can happen if some of its predictions or assessments turn out to be false. Therefore, scientists should take into account potential harmful consequences of their risk assessments even if those consequences cannot be fully quantified or if their occurrence cannot be proven beyond doubt.

Read the paper in Science and Engineering Ethics