This book examines the policy and politics of two health risks, which have recently become prominent social issues in many countries. One is the issue of asbestos as an environmental risk to humans, and another is that of bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE), or mad cow disease as an animal disease, and of its variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) as a human food risk. Employing a set of analytical frameworks in political science, each case study explores how the issues emerged, agendas got set, alternatives were chosen, and policies were implemented. Through the analysis, it is examined how safety and public reassurance were pursued in the countries studied (Japan, the UK, France the USA, and Korea). Exploration of the successes and failures in their efforts discloses the key elements to successful health risk management.

Preface Alliance for Global Sustainability; Part I Introduction: Chapter 1 Study on the policy and politics against health hazards, by Hajime Sato; Part II Management of environmental risk: Cases of asbestos: Chapter 2 Development of asbestos regulation in Japan: Incremental policy making and crisis politics, by Hajime Sato; Chapter 3 Emergence of asbestos-related health issues and development of regulatory policy in the United Kingdom, by Andrew Webster, Conor M. W. Douglas and Hajime Sato; Chapter 4 Development of asbestos regulation in France: Policy making under uncertainty and precautionary principle, by Bernard Reber and Hajime Sato; Chapter 5 Asbestos in the United States, by Rose Campbell, James S. Webber and Hajime Sato; Chapter 6 Risk perception and management of the asbestos industry in Korea: Rise and fall of the industry and health issues, by Domyung Paek and Hajime Sato; Part III Management of food risk: Cases of BSE-related human risk management: Chapter 7 Policy and politics of BSE-related human disease prevention in Japan: In pursuit of food safety and public reassurance, by Hajime Sato; Chapter 8 BSE in the United Kingdom, by Andrew Webster, Conor. M. W. Douglas and Hajime Sato; Chapter 9 Governing uncertain threats: Lessons fiom the mad cow saga in France, by Pierre-Benoit Joly and Hajime Sato; Chapter 10 Policy and Politics of BSE in the United States, by Rose Campbell and Hajime Sato; Part IV Conclusions: Chapter 11 Policies, Politics, and Communications of Health Risks: In Search of Safety and Public Reassurance, by Hajime Sato; Notes List of members of the research project; Index.