Readings on the Precautionary Principle

While doing some research for an earlier benzene post, I rediscovered a good resource, Late Lessons from Early Warnings: the Precautionary Principle 1896–2000, published by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) and available free of charge. It presents accounts of cases where early warnings of impending or environmental harm were ignored, representing an advertisement for use of the Precautionary Principle in environmental regulation. A range of cases are considered including destruction of the Californian sardine industry through overfishing, the mesothelioma epidemic resulting from asbestos exposure, groundwater contamination with the gasoline additive MTBE, "mad cow disease", and carcinogenic risks from benzene exposure.

A review in the online edition of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published in 2002, provides a summary of the report, along with a concise discussion of some of the problems associated with implementing the precautionary principle in environmental regulations.