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Tradeoffs of chemicals regulation - The science and tacit knowledge of decisions

June 2021
The Science of The Total Environment 794(2):148566

DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148566

Authors:

J.C. Hanekamp

University College Roosevelt

Edward J. Calabrese

University of Massachusetts Amherst

In this paper, we want to shed light on the tradeoffs of chemicals regulation. We will discuss two types of tradeoffs: the social-economic impacts of regulation such as cost-induced fatalities and the tradeoffs between ‘old’ and ‘new’ chemicals, that is the established chemicals in industry and society deemed in need of replacement with ‘new’ chemicals. We will show that the progression from the science of chemicals risk assessment to regulation requires the science of regulatory (economic) analyses, with added insight from the philosophy of science. Indeed, risk assessment as such, which is significantly driven but is not limited to the broad toxicological context, does not unescapably dictate regulatory choices. The science of regulatory and economic analyses, we believe, could add considerably to the science of toxicology in a combined effort to improve upon the protection of public health and the environment.

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Tradeoffs of chemicals regulation - The science and tacit knowledge

of decisions

Jaap C. Hanekamp

a,b,

⁎,Edward J. Calabrese

Science Department, University College Roosevelt, Middelburg, the Netherlands

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Morrill I, N344, Amherst, MA 01003, USA

HIGHLIGHTS

•The philosophy of the science in risk as-

sessments is crucial in decision making.

•The risk management paradigm needs a

precise and rigorous divide between

hazard and risk.

•Chemicals regulation has critical risk

tradeoffs in the social-economic sphere.

•Substitution programs underestimates

tacit and formal/codiﬁed knowledge of

‘old’chemicals.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

abstractarticle info

Article history:

Received 19 April 2021

Received in revised form 11 June 2021

Accepted 16 June 2021

Available online 25 June 2021

Editor: Michael N Moore

Keywords:

Regulatory trade-offs

Value of statistical life (VSL)

Philosophy of science

Glyphosate

REACH

Precaution

In this paper, we want to shed light on the tradeoffs of chemicals regulation. We will discuss two types of

tradeoffs: the social-economic impacts of regulation such as cost-induced fatalities and the tradeoffs between

‘old’and‘new’chemicals, thatis the established chemicals in industry and societydeemed in need of replacement

with ‘new’chemicals. We will show that the progression from the science of chemicals risk assessment to regu-

lation requires the science of regulatory (economic) analyses, with added insight from the philosophy of science.

Indeed, riskassessment as such, which is signiﬁcantly driven but is not limitedto the broad toxicological context,

does not unescapably dictate regulatory choices. The science of regulatory and economic analyses, we believe,

could add considerably to the science of toxicology in a combinedeffort to improve upon the protection of public

health and the environment.

1. Weighing the evidence

In this contribution we want to delve into the science of chemicals

regulation and its attendant intricacies, limitations, and tradeoffs. Before

we do that, ﬁrst we need understand what exactly toxicology, as the

eminent faculty within the ﬁeld of chemicals risk assessment, brings

Science of the Total Environment 794 (2021) 148566

⁎Corresponding author at: ScienceDepartment, University College Roosevelt, Middelburg,

the Netherlands.

E-mail address: j.hanekamp@ucr.nl (J.C. Hanekamp).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148566

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