This book surveys a dozen scientific issues that have led to public controversy and litigation.

This book is the first attempt to analyse the relevant international conventions governing the liability of airlines to passengers and third parties on the ground from a risk perspective. The book analyses the transformation of the notion of risk over time and identifies the ways and the extent to which social perceptions have influenced the liability of airlines in the aftermath of safety accidents (Warsaw Convention System, Montreal Convention, Rome Convention, and New General Risks Convention) and terrorism related incidents (New Unlawful Interference Convention).

One of the few books to focus on the critical problem of the correct characterization of conflicting data for an adequate risk evaluation, this title comprehensively covers the different approaches in various research areas in the US and in Europe, while also considering the ethical implications of risk evaluation. In addition, special attention is paid to the sensitive topic of potential health risks through electromagnetic fields. Written by leading experts in the field, this is an indispensable resource for policy makers and professionals in health risk assessment.

Publisher Description

Very often, we associate the dawn of modern financial theory with Harry Markowitz who in the 1950s introduced the formal mathematics of probability theory to the problem of managing risk in an asset portfolio. The 1970s saw the advent of formal models for pricing options and other derivative contracts, whose primary purpose was also financial risk management and hedging. But events in the 1990s made it clear that effective risk management is a critical element for success, and indeed, for long term survival, not only for financial institutions, but also for industrial firms, and even for nonprofit organizations and governmental bodies. These recent events vividly show that the world is filled with all manner of risks, and so risk management must extend far beyond the use of standard derivative instruments in routine hedging applications. The articles in this volume cover two broad themes. One theme emphasizes methods for identifying, modeling, and hedging specific types of financial and business risks. Articles in this category consider the technology of risk measurement, such as Value at Risk and extreme value theory; new classes of risk, such as liquidity risk; new financial instruments and markets for risk management, such as derivative contracts based on weather and on catastrophic insurance risks; and finally, credit risk, which has become one of the most important areas of practical interest for risk management. The second theme stresses risk management from the perspective of the firm and the financial system as a whole. Articles in this category analyze risk management in the international arena, including payment and settlement risks and sovereign risk pricing, risk management from the regulator's viewpoint, and risk management for financial institutions. The articles in this volume examine the "State of the Art" in risk management from the standpoint of academic researchers, market analysts and practitioners, and government observers.

Publisher Description

Understand the fundamentals of human risk assessment with this introduction and reference Human risk assessments are a precondition for virtually all industrial action or environmental regulation, all the more essential in a world where chemical and environmental hazards are becoming more abundant. These documents catalog potential environmental, toxicological, ecological, or other harms resulting from a particular hazard, from chemical spills to construction projects to dangerous workplaces. They turn on a number of variables, of which the most significant is the degree of human exposure to the hazardous agent or process. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment combines the virtues of a textbook and reference work to introduce and analyze these vital documents. Beginning with the foundational theory of human health risk assessment, it then supplies case studies and detailed analysis illustrating the practice of producing risk assessment documents. Fully updated and authored by leading authorities in the field, the result is an indispensable work. Readers of the second edition of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment will also find: Over 40 entirely new case studies reflecting the latest in risk assessment practice Detailed discussion of hazards including air emissions, contaminated food and soil, hazardous waste sites, and many more Case studies from multiple countries to reflect diverse international standards Human and Ecological Risk Assessment is ideal for professionals and advanced graduate students in toxicology, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, environmental science, and all related subjects.

Controversies over how to manage health and environmental risks are among the most bitter disagreements in contemporary society. Trying to determine what is in the public interest is at the heart of these disagreements, but the core concerns of major sectors industry, governments, and voluntary associations are also at stake. In Canada and elsewhere, defusing the controversies and finding solutions acceptable to all parties have met with little success. Risk and Responsibility attempts to explain why this is so and what might be done about it.

The book contains the contributions at the NATO Study Institute on Exposure and Risk Assessment of Chemical Pollution – Contemporary Methodology, which took place in Sofia – Borovetz, Bulgaria, July 1–10, 2008. Rapid advances in mathematics, computer science and molecular biology and chemistry have lead to the development in of a new branch of toxicology called Computational Toxicology. This emerging field is addressing the estimation and prediction of exposure risk and effects of chemicals based on experimental data, measured concentration and biological mechanisms and computational models of biological systems. Mathematical models are also being used to predict the fate and transport of substances in the environment. Because this area is still in its infancy, there has been limited application from governmental agencies to regulating controllable processes, such as registration of new chemicals, determination of estimated exposure and risk based limits and maximum acceptable concentrations in different compartments of the environment – ambient air, waters, soil and food products. However, this is soon to change as the ability to collect, analyze and interpret the required information is becoming increasingly more efficient and cost effective. Full implementation of the new processes have to involve education on both part of the experimentalists who are generating the data and the models, and the risk assessors who will use them to better protect human health and the environment.