Multiattribute, Multi-Person, and Multi-Period Risks

Abstract

Human health hazards, ranging from pollutants in air or water to microbes in food, usually threaten the health of many people simultaneously. Typically, different people are unequally exposed to the health hazards arising from a decision affecting exposures to such hazards, raising questions about fairness and equity in the distribution of risks from the decision — or, more generally, in the distribution of its costs, risks, and benefits. Most hazards can affect several aspects of health, such as the frequency, duration, type, and intensity or severity of exposure-related illnesses. Different people, including people of different ages, may value these aspects of health effects differently.