200
Integrating Emerging Technologies into Chemical Safety Assessment
5.3 COMMUNICATIONS ISSUES IN THE CONTEXT OFCHEMICAL RISK MANAGEMENT
ublic communiction is centrl component of risk mngement, nd it will
ply mjor role in the successful implementtion of new regultory policy.
t is theme tht cuts through mny of the bove-noted risk mngement/
perception fctors. As such, it is criticl to consider some of the most slient
science communication issues.
<PMZMQ[IKWUUWVJMTQMN\PI\¹UQ[XMZKMX\QWV[ºWZKWVKMZV[IJW]\ZQ[S[WZ[KQMVKM
bsed regultion cn be solved by informing the public bout the relevnt science.
<PMQLMIQ[JI[MLWV\PMJMTQMN\PI\IUWZMQVNWZUMLIVL[KQMV\QÅKITTaTQ\MZI\M
public will be more ccepting of new technologies nd will be less concerned bout
KWVKWUQ\IV\ZQ[S[<PQ[IXXZWIKPSVW_VI[\PM¹LMÅKQ\UWLMTºQ[XZWJTMUI\QKWV number of levels. here seems little doubt tht knowledge cn ply n importntrole in ttitudes bout science. tudies hve shown there is correltion, one tht
Q[[\IJTMIKZW[[K]T\]ZM[IVLLWUIQV[WN[KQMV\QÅKQVY]QZaJM\_MMVXW[Q\Q^M^QM_[
WN[KQMVKMIVLSVW_TMLOMIJW]\[KQMV\QÅKNIK\[)TT]U
et al
., 2008. evertheless,the reltionship between the provision of informtion nd cceptnce is fr fromsimple. imply explining the relevnt science will not, on its own, necessrily led
to higher levels of cceptnce (imon, 2010 joberg, 2008 turgis & Allum, 2004.
For example, if individuals lose trust in or have reservations about a technology
or regultory pproch, they will seek or t lest be more open to informtion\PI\KWVÅZU[\PM[M^QM_[*]JMTI
et al
., 2009). f members of the public hve
concerns bout pesticides, they my be drwn to medi stories tht vlidte these
pre-existing beliefs. Simply disseminting informtion to the public bout the
ZMTM^IV\[KQMVKMIVLZI\QWVITM[NWZZMO]TI\WZaZMNWZUVWUI\\MZPW_[KQMV\QÅKITTasound, will not necessrily led to greter public cceptnce. Filure to recognize
\PQ[IVLIXXZMKQI\MQ\[[QOVQÅKIVKMKIVTMIL\WIVQVNWZUI\QWVOIXJM\_MMV
stakeholders (eiss & Powell, 2004).
<PMM`Q[\MVKMWNIVQVNWZUI\QWVOIXKIVPI^MI[QOVQÅKIV\VMOI\Q^MQUXIK\WVX]JTQK\Z][\IVLKWVÅLMVKMQV\PMZMO]TI\WZaXZWKM[[JMKI][M\PQ[^WQL_QTTZMILQTaJMÅTTMLJaQVNWZUI\QWVNZWUW\PMZ[W]ZKM[<PW[M[W]ZKM[UIaVW\JM
KZMLQJTMIVLUIaZMTaWVLI\I\PI\IZM[MTMK\Q^MTaKPW[MVIVL[KQMV\QÅKITTa_MIS#
VM^MZ\PMTM[[QV\PMIJ[MVKMWNKWV^QVKQVOIVLKZMLQJTM[KQMV\QÅKIZO]UMV\[
[]KPQVNWZUI\QWVÅTT[IVMML;WUMIL^WKIKaOZW]X[IVL\PMUMLQIUIaNZIUM
their rguments in wy tht resontes with the communities they represent;\PMa[MTMK\Q^MTaKPWW[M\WXZM[MV\[XMKQÅKLI\I\PI\_W]TLNZIUMIVLXZWUW\M\PMQZKI][MIQT]ZM\WILLZM[[[KQMV\QÅKITTaY]M[\QWVIJTMKTIQU[Ja\PMUMLQI
nd other sources cn undermine the credibility of the regultors, which in
201
Chapter 5 Potential Impacts on the Public’s Perception and Confidence in Regulatory Risk Assessment
\]ZV_QTT[QOVQÅKIV\TaMZWLMX]JTQK\Z][\QV\PMQZIJQTQ\a\WXZW\MK\P]UIVIVL
environmental health. Perhaps nowhere was this more evident than the case of
the recent emergence of cosmetic pesticide bns cross Cnd (introduced in
Chpter 2. he push to bn the sle nd use of cosmetic pesticides in numerousCndin jurisdictions hs lrgely been ttributed to the work of dvoccy groups,whose powerful communictions cmpigns were met by silence from the federl
regultory gencies. his cmpign ws supported by testimony from medicldoctors — the mjority of whom hve no forml trining in the interprettion
of toxicologicl or epidemiologicl dt — whose opinions re considered by
mny members of the public to be the most trustworthy, nd more credible thnthose of scientists (Box 5.3 (rewski
et al
., 2006. his is powerful exmple of
how the source of the information can be as important as the information itself.
Box 5.3
Pesticide Bans
Medical Officers of Health arguably played a significant role in the introduction of
legislation to ban the non-essential use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes in urban
settings in Canada. An excellent example of this is Dr. Sheela Basrur, who served as the
Medical Officer of Health in Toronto. Her involvement included advising the Toronto
Board of Health (TBH) of the ability of a municipality to regulate the non-essential
outdoor use of pesticides, based on the Hudson, Quebec experience (Basrur, 2002b).
As a result, in 2001 the TBH directed Dr. Basrur to prepare a public discussion
document and to obtain wide input into the nature and scope of a potential bylaw.
Her report
Playing it Safe: Healthy Choices about Lawn Care Pesticides
(Basrur, 2002a)
was prepared by members of the Health Promotion and Environmental Protection
Office, Toronto Public Health, and released by Dr. Basrur in April 2002 subsequent toinitial public consultation in Toronto. One purpose of this document was to facilitate
additional consultation with the public. The authors stated there were enough reports
of the potential harmful effects of pesticide exposures in the scientific literature towarrant reduced exposure of children and other vulnerable individuals to chemical
pesticides. This disclosure by municipal health professionals probably influenced the
outcome of the consultations, which showed that more than two-thirds of thosewho participated favoured the restricted use of non-essential pesticides. Toronto’s
Pesticide Bylaw (Municipal Code 612) came into effect on 1 April 2004 and remained
in place until the Province of Ontario introduced legislation to ban the cosmetic useof pesticides. Ontario Regulation 63/09 was enacted on 22 April 2009 (Government
of Ontario, 2009).
continued on next page
202
Integrating Emerging Technologies into Chemical Safety Assessment
he provision of ccurte nd blnced informtion is therefore vitlly importnt
(yshenko
et al
., 2008). f the public views the informtion s ccurte ndprovided by n independent source (especilly one tht is free of commercil
QVÆ]MVKMQ\KIVPMTXJ]QTL\Z][\[I\Q[Na\PMM\PQKITVWZUWN\ZIV[XIZMVKaIVL
cn led to greter comfort with the regultory pproch over time (rewski,
2005 rewski
et al
., 2008).t should be noted that the popular press plays an important role in this regard.
he public gets most of its informtion bout science nd helth issues from the
Box 5.3
(continued)
In a similar vein, the Ottawa Board of Health/City Council requested an update onthe health effects of pesticides from its then Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert
Cushman, which he completed in August 2005 (Cushman, 2005). Dr. Cushman notedwhat had occurred in Toronto and included a literature review of the harmful effects
of pesticides, noting reports of increased sensitivity of individuals with specific genetic
polymorphisms to pesticides (Elbaz
et al
., 2004; Infante-Rivard
et al
., 1999). He
concluded in his report that the precautionary principle and existing scientific evidence
about the harmful effects of pesticide exposure warranted a bylaw to prohibit the
cosmetic use of pesticides in Ottawa (Cushman, 2005). This report was presented to
Ottawa City Council by Dr. David Salisbury, the new Medical Health Officer, in October
2005, but it did not precipitate immediate action in terms of a bylaw. In June 2007,
one of the Ottawa City Councillors requested an update of the medical literature of
pesticide effects. Dr. Salisbury sent his report, which analyzed the literature published
between 2005 and 2007, to City Council on 6 September 2007 (Salisbury, 2007).His conclusions reflected those reached earlier by Drs. Basrur and Cushman. In hisconcluding comments, Dr. Salisbury also referred to the recommendation made in
2007 by Justice Archie Campbell in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Commission final report, an acute event that resulted in the death of 44 individuals
in Ontario, three of whom were health-care workers. Justice Campbell noted that the
precautionary principle had not been adequately applied during SARS and went on
to suggest this principle should be applied throughout the health system in Ontario.
Although Ottawa never enacted its own bylaw banning the cosmetic uses of pesticides
it did endorse the initiative of the Ontario Government to ban the sale and use of
non-essential pesticide use in May 2008. In summary, it is prudent to note that the
activities of Drs. Cushman and Salisbury, Ottawa’s Medical Officers of Health during
this period, played an influential role in this outcome.
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