ABSTRACT
Citizens of today’s Western industrialized countries lead remarkably safe lives. They live on average longer and in better health than previous generations and the inhabitants of most other countries. Governments, ngos, businessmen and scientific experts nevertheless have repeatedly voiced concerns about our safety. Much attention goes to crime and terrorist threats. But the concern for risks pertaining to health, the environment and society that are linked, among other things, to industrial activities and new technologies, to lifestyles and foodstuffs, to climate change and new infectious diseases, attracts much attention as well. This report focuses on the political issues and public policy problems that such risks entail.
