US EPA

6894418 

Journal Article 

The Big Cleanup Gets It Wrong 

Main, J 

1991 

0 

Fortune
ISSN: 0015-8259
EISSN: 0015-8240 

123 

10 

95 

English 

According to risk analysts, national resources are allocated to cleaning up relatively low-risk pollutants such as oil spills and nuclear wastes and not to low-visibility, high-risk pollutants such as radon detection and cleanup. Although the final bill for cleaning up toxic waste site may exceed $500 billion, the average cost to clean a Rn-contaminated house is $1100. Some high-risk dangers, however, require large capital investments to mitigate; global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer are examples. While environmental risks generate the most publicity, in fact, habits of personal choice kill more people. Smoking and poor diets account for 300,000 deaths annually, while global warming, O sub(3)-layer depletion, Rn contamination, water pollution, pesticide residues, hazardous waste sites, acid rain, and asbestos account for less than 35,000 deaths or cancer incidences annually, combined. 

Environment Abstracts; PATHOLOGY, HUMAN; POLLUTION CONTROL; HEALTH, ENV; ENV PROBLEMS, GENERAL; ECONOMICS, POLLUTION CONTROL; RISK ASSESSMENT; WATER POLLUTANTS; HEALTH SAFETY, OCCUPATIONAL; ASBESTOS; ENA 07:General