Communicating with the Public About Hazardous Materials: An Examination of Local Practice. Risk Communication Series

摘要

The study's purpose is to improve the ability of public and private sector organizations to communicate with members of the general public about the risks posed by hazardous materials, such as those found in Superfund or RCRA sites, or subject to SARA Title III. The second phase included a national survey of Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) and case studies of selected risk communication efforts. The survey, conducted in a sample of ten states, was designed to assess the risk communication efforts of LEPCs and to gauge their capacity for promoting risk communication in their communities. Case studies in three communities provide examples of risk communication efforts, with secondary case studies in neighboring areas. The purpose was to learn what risk communication techniques had been tried in these cases, to secure suggestions for risk communication programs from practitioners, and to assess the level of hazardous materials awareness among a sample of the attentive public in each community.