Precautionary Principle

The principle of precautionary action has 4 parts: People have a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm. The burden of proof of harmlessness of a new technology, process, activity, or chemical lies with the proponents, not with the general public. Before using a new technology, process, or chemical, or starting a new activity, people have an obligation to examine "a full range of alternatives" including the alternative of doing nothing. Decisions applying the precautionary principle must be "open, informed, and democratic" and "must include affected parties." Wingspread statement on the precautionary principle, 1998

Resources

The precautionary principle and the city and county of San Francisco

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/pdfs/white_paper.pdf

Breast Cancer Fund, 2003

 

Conference Report: International summit on science and the precautionary principle

http://www.scientificjournals.com/sj/espr/Pdf/aId/4828

Lowell center for sustainable production, 2001

 

The precautionary principle in environmental science

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2001/109p871-876kriebel/kriebel-full.html

Environmental Health Perspectives, 2001

 

Putting precaution into practice : Implementing the precautionary principle

http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Precaution-into-Practice.htm

Mass. Precautionary Principle Project, 2000

 

The use and abuse of the precautionary principle

http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/MaeWanHo/PrecautionP.html

Institute of Science in Society, 2000

 

Precautionary principle: Current status and implementation

http://www.greens.org/s-r/23/23-17.html

Synthesis/ Regeneration, 2000

 

Wingspread statement on the precautionary principle

http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0398/et0398s4.html

1998

 

Interpreting the precautionary principle

http://dieoff.org/page31.htm

1993

 

The precautionary principle: The simple approach to environmental sustainability

http://www.gracelinks.org/nuke/docs/precautionary_principle.doc

 

The precautionary principle in action

http://www.sehn.org/rtfdocs/handbook-rtf.rtf

Science and Environmental Health network

 

The precautionary principle

http://www.eel.nl/virtue/precprin.htm

TMC Asser Institute

 

BioTech InfoNet resources on the Precautionary Principle

http://www.biotech-info.net/

 

The precautionary principle project

http://www.pprinciple.net/

 

The precautionary principle project

http://sustainableproduction.org/proj.prec.abou.shtml

Lowell center for sustainable production