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Synthetic risks, risk potency, and carcinogen regulation
Author(s) -
Viscusi W. Kip,
Hakes Jahn K.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6688(199824)17:1<52::aid-pam4>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - potency , regulatory agency , food and drug administration , agency (philosophy) , risk assessment , international agency , environmental health , carcinogen , business , toxicology , pharmacology , risk analysis (engineering) , medicine , biology , economics , computer science , computer security , biochemistry , philosophy , genetics , epistemology , in vitro , welfare economics
This article analyzes a comprehensive sample of over 350 chemicals tested for carcinogenicity to assess the determinants of the probability of regulation. Controlling for differences in the risk potency and noncancer risks, synthetic chemicals have a significantly higher probability of regulation overall: this is due to the greater likelihood of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation. Measures of risk potency increase the probability of regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have a somewhat weaker positive effect on regulation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and decrease the likelihood of regulation by the FDA. The overall regulatory pattern is one in which the FDA targets synthetic chemicals and chemicals that pose relatively minor cancer risk. The EPA particularly performed more sensibly than many critics have suggested.