Risk Communication in the Real World

Rigorous health risk assessments of site-specific projects are generally little understood by nontechnical decision makers and the public and often appear to them to obfuscate a straightforward answer to their fundamental question: “Is the project safe?” The focus on risk, usually out of context of benefits, deprives the reader of the opportunity to make a fully informed decision on the proposal. While the risk assessment tools may need to be refashioned, confidence in the analytical process can be improved, partly through more citizen involvement, as well as through more effective communication of the conservatism of the assumptions, the thoroughness of the process, and the significance of the results in comparison to other commonly accepted involuntary exposures and risks.