Abstract
Our study of human health risks caused by use of animal antibiotics suggested that even deep and widely shared concerns about plausible-sounding threats, such as those from antibiotic-resistant bacteria transmitted via the food chain, do not necessarily reflect the quantitative size of the risks nor the sizes of risk reductions that should realistically be expected to result from proposed interventions. A hazard that is repugnant and that sounds plausible may galvanize political action, even if quantitative risk assessment (QRA) shows that called-for interventions are unlikely to reduce the health effects of concern. In such cases, a well-done QRA might help to inform and modify intuitive judgments about what to do, focusing concern and resources where they are most likely to produce significant benefits.
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Cox, L.A. (2012). Rethinking the Health Benefits of Air Pollution Control. In: Improving Risk Analysis. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 185. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6058-9_7
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