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Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 08:34:45 -0400
Reply-To: PSA Forum
Sender: PSA Forum
From: Don Schaffner
Subject: FW: Groth comments on Paper 1c, Risk Communication
Comments: To: PSAFORUM@who.int
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-----Original Message-----
From: Don Schaffner [mailto:schaffner@aesop.rutgers.edu]
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 1:00 PM To: 'PSA Forum'
Subject: RE: Groth comments on Paper 1c, Risk Communication

> -----Original Message-----
> From: PSA Forum [mailto:PSAFORUM@who.int] On Behalf Of Edward Groth
> Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 1:53 PM

> (v) She discusses the need for "a new vocabulary" and an
> integrated, science and risk-based food safety strategy.
> This sounds good as an abstract concept but the idea seems
> rather general and it's hard to envision what it might lead
> to in practice. Perhaps we could ask Dr. Wachsmuth to spell
> out in more detail what she had in mind.

Based on her comments and the Taylor et al reference (http://www.milbank.org/reports/2003foodsafety/030731foodsafety.html) I think she is talking about harmonizing the outputs to we can more easily compare the results of chemical and microbial risk assessments. If we are to rank risks and allocate resources, all the risks we wish to rank must have the same units.

If this is what she is saying, I heartily endorse it.

> (vi) She speaks of the need for a new "technology-forcing"
> effort (I'm not sure what that means)

"Technology-forcing" is a strange term to use here. It seems she is recommending (as noted above) the use of the same units for risk to allow ranking disimilar hazards.

> ... Such a risk-ranking system would need to include ...

Good comments that I think Dr. Wachsmuth should consider in revising her paper.

Don Schaffner, Ph.D. Schaffner@aesop.rutgers.edu Food Risk Analysis Initiative FAX: (732) 932-6776 65 Dudley Rd - Rutgers University Voice: (732) 932-9611x214 New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520 http://foodsci.rutgers.edu