Technology, Risk, Precaution, and Sustainability

The pursuit of technical progress and an ever-improved state of well-being for humans can come with great risks that can directly threaten human health as well as the natural environment our species depends on. This chapter introduces the fundamental concept of risk and the dilemma society often faces when developing an attractive new technology that may also be linked with clear or perhaps an entirely unknown set of risks. It explores some of the philosophy behind the perception of risk as well as the development of the precautionary principle and sustainability as concepts to responsibly approach new risks. Historical discussions and trends in thinking on the international level to integrate these concepts into the economy are also presented. The three protection areas of safety, health, and environment are introduced along with a first look at the methods and tools that help to assess them and aid in the integrated development of chemical products and processes.