Politics and Scientific Expertise: Scientists, Risk Perception, and Nuclear Waste Policy

To study the homogeneity and influences on scientists'perspectives of environmental risks, we have examined similarities and differences in risk perceptions, particularly regarding nuclear wastes, and policy preferences among 1011 scientists and engineers. We found significant differences ( p 0.05)in the patterns of beliefs among scientists from different fields of research. In contrast to physicists, chemists, and engineers, life scientists tend to: (a)perceive the greatest risks from nuclear energy and nuclear waste management; (b)perceive higher levels of overall environmental risk; (c)strongly oppose imposing risks on unconsenting individuals; and (d)prefer stronger requirements for environmental management. On some issues related to priorities among public problems and calls for government action, there are significant variations among life scientists or physical scientists. We also found that–independently of field of research–perceptions of risk and its correlates are significantly associated with the type of institution in which the scientist is employed. Scientists in universities or state and local governments tend to see the risks of nuclear energy and wastes as greater than scientists who work as business consultants, for federal organizations, or for private research laboratories. Significant differences also are found in priority given to environmental risks, the perceived proximity of environmental disaster, willingness to impose risks on an unconsenting population, and the necessity of accepting risks and sacrifices.     

60Co-r射线辐射保持系嘉浙B的M2代突变类型分析

用60 CO-r射线直接辐射保持系嘉浙B诱发突变 ,M2 代出现多种变异 ,按变异频率大小从高到底依次为 :叶色突变>早熟突变 >颖尖不退花突变 >高外露率突变 >薄颖壳突变 >花时早 >突变紫稃尖突变 >迟熟突变 ,上述 8个选择项的总突变频率达到 2 .4 19% ,说明辐射诱变改良保持系性状十分有效     

Sensitivity,uncertainty, and decision analyses in the prioritization of research

The evaluation of hazards from complex, large scale, technologically advanced systems often requires the construction of computer implemented mathematical models. These models are used to evaluate the safety of the systems and to evaluate the consequences of modifications to the systems. These evaluations, however, are normally surrounded by significant uncertainties related to the uncertainty inherent in natural phenomena such as the weather and those related to uncertainties in the parameters and models used in the evaluation.

Another use of these models is to evaluate strategies for improving information used in the modeling process itself. While sensitivity analysis is useful in defining variables in the model that are important, uncertainty analysis provides a tool for assessing the importance of uncertainty about these variables. A third complementary technique, is decision analysis. It provides a methodology for explicitly evaluating and ranking potential improvements to the model. Its use in the development of information gathering strategies for a nuclear waste repository are discussed in this paper.     

福龙丸事件始末

1954年3月1日，日本渔船福龙丸在太平洋捕鱼时，遭到了美国在比基尼环礁试爆的氢弹的放射性污染，这一事件对美日关系产生了重大影响，美国国家安全委员会为此调整了对日政策，于1955年4月9日制订了NSC5516/1号文件，改变了要求日本短期内重整军备的方针，而代之以渐整军备。     

The Effect of Risk Beliefs on Property Values: A Case Study of a Hazardous Waste Site1

Health risk beliefs of homeowners near a landfill site were assessed in a survey and compared to expert judgments of the health risks of living near the site. A bimodal distribution of health risk beliefs suggested sharp disagreement between the experts and at least some of the residents. Correlates of high risk beliefs included perception of odor from the site, exposure to media coverage of the problem, having children living at home, age (younger respondents more concerned), and gender (females more concerned). An aggregated neighborhood health risk belief predicted reductions in home prices even after controlling for home physical characteristics, such as size and other disamenities such as proximity to a freeway. In the 4100 homes near the site, the estimated depression in property values was estimated to total about $40.2 million before the site was closed and to be about $19.7 million after closure. Implications of these results for community conflict and for benefit-cost analysis of hazard site remediation are discussed.     

循环经济产业链视角下我国农业废弃物资源化发展案例研究

循环经济产业链作为一个生态系统,有着纵向延伸、横向耦合和开放性的特征,通过横向耦合、纵向延伸和关联共生实现产业的发展。农业废弃物产业是我国循环型农业发展的重点领域,在农业废弃物产业中构建循环经济产业链是发展农业废弃物循环型产业的重要途径,是深度资源化利用农业废弃物,从上游、中游和下游充分释放资源能源利用效率的实现手段。RY农业生产基地以构建循环经济产业链为基本思路,走出了一条经济持续发展、资源高效利用、生态良性循环的发展道路,为我国农业废弃物产业优化升级提供了先进经验。     

Quantitative Risk Assessment of the New York State Operated West Valley Radioactive Waste Disposal Area

This article is based on a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) that was performed on a radioactive waste disposal area within the Western New York Nuclear Service Center in western New York State. The QRA results were instrumental in the decision by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to support a strategy of in‐place management of the disposal area for another decade. The QRA methodology adopted for this first of a kind application was a scenario‐based approach in the framework of the triplet definition of risk (scenarios, likelihoods, consequences). The measure of risk is the frequency of occurrence of different levels of radiation dose to humans at prescribed locations. The risk from each scenario is determined by (1) the frequency of disruptive events or natural processes that cause a release of radioactive materials from the disposal area; (2) the physical form, quantity, and radionuclide content of the material that is released during each scenario; (3) distribution, dilution, and deposition of the released materials throughout the environment surrounding the disposal area; and (4) public exposure to the distributed material and the accumulated radiation dose from that exposure. The risks of the individual scenarios are assembled into a representation of the risk from the disposal area. In addition to quantifying the total risk to the public, the analysis ranks the importance of each contributing scenario, which facilitates taking corrective actions and implementing effective risk management. Perhaps most importantly, quantification of the uncertainties is an intrinsic part of the risk results. This approach to safety analysis has demonstrated many advantages of applying QRA principles to assessing the risk of facilities involving hazardous materials.     

试论地方政府在建设节约型社会中的责任

社会浪费可分为社会大众的行为浪费和政府或社会组织的决策浪费两大类。社会浪费触目惊心。建设节约型社会是一项需要全民参与的伟大而又艰巨的任务。当民族为生存而斗争、人民为生存而挣扎的时候,节约会是一种真诚的自觉;当国家日益繁荣、生活日益丰富的时候,放纵欲望、铺张浪费就会成为熟视无睹的习惯。因此,地方政府应该教化民众、建立防患造成浪费的机制、管理好干部队伍,努力履行建设节约型社会的责任。     

Hazardous Waste Incineration at Sea: EPA Decision Making on Risk

This paper critiques the Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of risk for hazardous waste incineration at sea. It reviews operational and transportation risks and considers alternative approaches for managing chlorinated organic hazardous wastes. It concludes that depending on the scale of the program, ocean incineration will either contribute little to the overall management of this waste stream or else it will engender significant risks, especially in the coastal environment. Furthermore, past assessments on the part of EPA have tended to understate the risks of incineration at sea while simultaneously holding out the promise of the technology as a commercial-scale management option. Finally, this paper observes that the Western European countries that pioneered incineration in the North Sea are now finding practical alternatives. It is recommended that waste reuse, on-site treatment, and techniques of waste reduction provide viable alternatives and obviate the need for incineration at sea.     

Women and toxic waste protests: Race,class and gender as resources of resistance

In recent years, women have been at the forefront of grassroot toxic waste protests in the United States. Out of their experience of protest, women construct ideologies of environmental justice, which reveal broader issues of inequality underlying environmental hazards. I examine the environmental discourse of white working class, African American and Native American women activists. The voices of these women show the ways in which their traditional role as mothers becomes a resource for their resistance. At the same time, their emerging analysis of environmental justice is mediated by different experiences of class, race, and ethnicity.