The precautionary principle: in action for public health

The precautionary principle: in action for public health.

The Precautionary Principle and Public Health

the nation's largest school district , announced a new policy on use of pesticides in its school buildings. The district committed to a policy of integrated pest management, giving priority to nonchemical approaches to pest control, and set a long-term goal of eliminating all chemical controls. In establishing this policy, the school district invoked the precautionary principle, saying: The Pre...

The Precautionary Principle : Protecting Public Health and the Environment 1

The precautionary principle is a guide to public policy decision making (Raffensperger and Tickner 1999, Schettler et al. 2002). It responds to the realization that humans often cause serious and widespread harm to people, wildlife, and the general environment. According to the precautionary principle, precautionary action should be undertaken when there are credible threats of harm, despite re...

A Canadian framework for applying the precautionary principle to public health issues.

The precautionary principle has influenced environmental and public health policy. It essentially states that complete evidence of a potential risk is not required before action is taken to mitigate the effects of the potential risk. The application of precaution to public health issues is not straightforward and could paradoxically cause harm to the public's health when applied inappropriately...

A LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE The Precautionary Principle is a legal and moral requirement for private and public

The Precautionary Principle is a legal and moral requirement for private and public decision-makers to act when confronted with uncertainty and potential irreversible damage. At its most simple it is a tool for timely action when dealing with the harmful effects of human activities. However, there is wide debate surrounding what defines the Principle in practice as the following discussion will...