Implementation of the precautionary principle in standards for the workplace.

The objectives were to describe and discuss the current and proposed European occupational health policy on two categories of substances that pose serious effects: those potentially carcinogenic or genotoxic and those with toxic effects on reproduction. The precautionary principle was applied to setting standards for the workplace for those two categories of substances, to give an impression of the resulting limit values and the consequences of the implementation of this precautionary principle. A pragmatic approach was chosen as this starts with substantial indications of health risks. For the suspected carcinogenic or genotoxic substances 0.1 mg/m3 as a precautionary occupational exposure limit (precautionary OEL) is proposed. For the substances suspected of causing reproductive toxicity the precautionary OEL was derived in three ways, depending on the availability of data and of a current Dutch workplace standard (MAC, maximum accepted concentration): (a) by calculation based on available inhalatory animal data on the risks of reproductive toxicity; (b) by adding a safety factor of 10 to the current MAC, if no inhalatory animal data on reproductive toxicity are available; (c) by using 0.1 mg/m3 as precautionary OEL for substances suspected of having reproductive toxicity but without inhalatory animal data on reproductive toxicity and without a MAC

Moviendo visiones de mundo : reformando ciencias, políticas y prácticas para el desarrollo endógeno sustentable

Desde Latinoamérica, a lo largo de 10 años de ejecución del Programa compas , hemos implementado experiencias de desarrollo, basados en un enfoque endógeno y de sustentabilidad. La base de dicho enfoque son las cosmovisiones locales de los pueblos indígenas y campesinos quechuas, aymaras, mayas y mapuches que consideran que las acciones de desarrollo deben estar enmarcadas en la visión ritual animista del entorno natural, la reciprocidad como mecanismo de relacionamiento social y la producción orientada por el equilibrio del ecosistema. Bajo este enfoque de desarrollo endógeno sustentable, hemos evidenciado que es necesario ampliar el radio de incidencia y debate a otros ámbitos fuera del marco estricto del desarrollo rural, e interpelar los centros de investigación, formación y generación de ciencia y conocimiento, que a la fecha siguen conduciéndose bajo el enfoque convencional dominante neopositivista