03/30/09

The Precautionary Principle as a Practical Guide

At whatever level you are involved, municipal, provincial, federal, in your workplace or a community organization, adopt the precautionary principle as a guiding principle and a practical tool for all decisions affecting both health and the environment.

Rachel’s Environment and Health News sums up the Precautionary Principle in this way:

In all formulations of the precautionary principle, we find three common elements:

1) If we have reasonable suspicion of harm

2) accompanied by scientific uncertainty, then

3) we all have a duty to take action to prevent harm.

The precautionary principle does not tell us what kinds of action to take. It does not tell us to ban anything or stop anything or regulate anything. However, it assumes that our aim is to prevent harm, and a consensus is developing that several kinds of action may be helpful:

** set goals;

** examine all reasonable alternatives for achieving those goals with the expectation that the least-harmful approach will be preferred;

** shift the burden of proof to the proponents of new activities or technologies -- they bear the burden of producing information about the expected consequences of their proposed activities, monitoring and reporting as the activity unfolds, agreeing to pay for any harm that ensues, and taking responsibility for remediation as needed; and

** those who will be affected by the decision should help make the decision.

Therefore the precautionary principle is sufficiently well-defined for people to use it in the real world.”

More in Rachel’s Environmental Health News, # 789 and #790, www.rachels.org

San Francisco was the first North American city to adopt a Precautionary Principle Ordinance. The San Francisco Ordinance states,

"Where there are reasonable grounds for concern, the precautionary approach to decision-making is meant to help reduce harm by triggering a process to select the least potential threat. The essential elements of the Precautionary Principle approach to decision-making include:

1. Anticipatory Action: There is a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm. government, business, and community groups, as well as the general public, share this responsibility.

2. Right to Know: The community has a right to know complete and accurate information on potential human health and environmental impacts associated with the selection of products, services, operations or plans. The burden to supply this information lies with the proponent, not with the general public.

3. Alternatives Assessment: An obligation exists to examine a full range of alternatives and select the alternative with the least potential impact on human health and the environment including the alternative of doing nothing.

4. Full Cost Accounting: When evaluating potential alternatives, there is a duty to consider all the costs, including raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, use, cleanup, eventual disposal, and health costs even if such costs are not reflected in the initial price. Short- and long-term time thresholds should be considered when making decisions.

5. Participatory Decision Process: Decisions applying the Precautionary Principle must be transparent, participatory, and informed by the best available information.”

In July 2005, San Francisco became the first US city to adopt a green product procurement law. This requires San Francisco buildings and services to buy more environmentally friendly products, such as greener janitorial supplies. The law also will phase out toxic pesticide use and lumber pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate in playgrounds.

The city will use full-cost accounting to evaluate alternative products, taking into account not only raw materials and transportation costs but disposal and possible environmental and health costs as well.