Social Interests, Contextualizations and Uncertainties in Risk Assessment
The Case of Methanol as a Fuel Component in Brazil
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11924720 |
|---|---|
| Authors | José Manoel Carvalho De Mello (Programa de Engenharia de Produção/COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 68507, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brasil; fax: +55 21 5908817, corresponding author), Carlos Machado Freitas (0000-0001-6626-9908, Study Centre of Workers' Health and Human Ecology, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (CESTEH/ENSP/FIOCRUZ), Av. Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil 212041-210; fax: +55 21 2703219, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 401-421 |
| Publication date | 1998-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Studies of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-3127 • E-ISSN: 1460-3659 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/030631298028003002 |
| OpenAlex | W1866784253 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This paper presents a case study of the laboratory risk assessment of a proposal for the use, in vehicles in Brazil, for a six-month `emergency' period, of a new type of fuel involving a mixture of methanol, ethanol and gasoline. It uses an integrated approach to examine the development of this risk-assessment process in its social, environmental and techno-scientific contexts. The process is shown to involve a dynamic interweaving of certain structured interests mixing both scientific and societal considerations, inside and outside the laboratory. This approach reveals the limits and uncertainties in the assessment of risks to the environment and to health, not only because of technical gaps, but also as a result of the contextual dynamics, and of social interests. The study suggests that a wider and more realistic understanding of the risk-assessment process could enhance opportunities for enlarging social participation in the definition of risks, and in the democratization of decision-making processes
Business · Computer security · Democratization · Management science · Political science · Process (computing · Risk analysis (engineering · Risk assessment · Social risk · Computer Science · Engineering · Law · Occupational Health and Safety Research · Risk and Safety Analysis · Risk Perception and Management
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.08 |
| Citation span | 2001 - 2010 (10) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |