Risk Methodologies for Technological Legacies: (18 NATO Science Series: IV:)

The projected costs of cleaning up the contaminated sites that are the legacy of the Cold War - just those in the US alone - have resulted in a movement to risk-based decision making for setting priorities. Risk can only be effectively controlled by a proper balance of three central concepts: risk analysis, risk perception and risk management. The relatively independent fields of risk analysis need drawing together in a single framework, identifying the reasoning underlying the seemingly disparate approaches and the gains to be had by bringing them together. Risk perception is the product of many factors in our lives, and cultural differences can have a significant impact on how we view risk and seek to control it. Risk management involves the decision maker selecting among alternative options. The book here focuses on facility risk management and human-centred risk management. Detailed information is provided on all three of these concepts; further definition is given to facility-centred and human-centred approaches to risk analysis and management. Part II of the book gives extensive inform ation on the legacies, risk perception and tools for analysing that risk. Part III presents detailed information on risk assessment programmes and methodologies, and Part IV provides details of future activities.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction.- I: Unifying Risk Management and Risk Analysis for Decision Makers.- 2. Complementary Risk Management: A Unified View for Decision Makers.- II: Legacies.- 3. Radiation Legacy of the Soviet Nuclear Complex.- 4. Status and Challenges of Managing Risks in the U.S. Depatlment of Energy Environmental Management Program.- 5. Perception of Risk, Health, and Inequality.- 6. Risk-Based Ranking Experiences for Cold War Legacy Facilities in the United States.- 7. Cleanup of Radioactive Floating Refuse at Vromos Bay.- 8. Integrated Accident Risk Analysis and Applications for the Disposal of Chemical Agents and Munitions.- 9. Environmental Radiation Dose Reconstruction for U.S. and Russian Weapons Production Facilities: Hanford and Mayak.- 10. Quantitative Risk Assessment Methods of Accounting for Probabilistic and Deterministic Data Applied to Complex Systems.- III. Analyses and Programs Applicable to Legacies.- 11. Environmental Risk Assessment of Installations and Sites Inherited from the Cold War Period in Bulgaria.- 12. Radiation Factors Risk Assessment Within the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone.- 13. Psychological Aspects of Risk Assessment and Management.- 14. Utilizing a Multimedia Approach for Risk Analysis of Environmental Systems.- 15. Using Integrated Quantitative Risk Assessment to Optimise Safety in Chemical Installations.- 16. Site-Specific Modification of Ground-Water Generic Criteria as Applied to a Contaminated Site.- IV: Future Directions.- 17. East Meets West: Teaming on Risk Assessment.- 18. Where Are We Going?.- Appendix A-Programme from NATO Advanced Study Institute, Risk Assessment Activities for the Cold War Facilities and Environmental Legacies.- Appendix B-Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in Text.- Appendix C-Cross Cultural Guide to the Book.