The Precautionary Principle and Public Health Trade-offs
Case Study of West Nile Virus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9765921 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joel A Tickner (Department of Work Environment, University of MassachusettsLowell), Joel Tickner (0000-0001-6110-8355, University of Massachusetts Lowell, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 584 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 69-79 |
| Publication date | 2002-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271620258400105 |
| OpenAlex | W2134446695 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 6 |
During the summer of 1999, the West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus, made its first appearance in North America. Public health officials throughout New England were forced to quickly respond to a novel threat, in many cases resorting to pesticide spraying that carried real but uncertain risks. This article explores the tensions faced by public health officials when making decisions regarding uncertain risks, particularly when there might be trade-offs between those risks. It examines the role of the precautionary principle--a guide to decision making under uncertainty--in trying to mediate these trade-offs. It is concluded that by exploring and implementing a wide range of preventive options, including a broad range of perspectives in decision-making processes, using a multidisciplinary scientific lens and systems perspective to examine risks, and developing methods to monitor public health interventions for signals of problems, such trade-offs can be minimized or avoided in a truly precautionary manner
Biology · Business · Economics · Environmental health · Environmental planning · Geography · Multidisciplinary approach · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Precautionary principle · Public economics · Public health · Virus · West Nile virus · Biotechnology · Computer Science · Ecology · Environmental and Social Impact Assessments · Law · Medicine · Regulation and Compliance Studies · Risk Perception and Management · Virology
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
| Citation span | 2005 - 2021 (17) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |