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Title: Managing the risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: a Canadian perspective

Authors: William Leiss, Michael G. Tyshenko, Daniel Krewski, Neil Cashman, Louise Lemyre, Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Carol Amaratunga

Addresses: McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 Canada. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 Canada. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa Ontario, K1H 8M5 Canada. ' Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada. ' University of Ottawa, Gap Sante, 55 Laurier Ave E, Room 3217, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 Canada. ' McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St., Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 Canada. ' Justice Institute of British Columbia, 715 McBride Boulevard, New Westminster, BC, V3L 5T4 Canada

Abstract: This paper reviews the history of the risk management challenges faced by many countries and regions of the world which have had cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from 1986 to the present. The paper first summarises the nature of prion diseases from a scientific perspective, and then presents an overview of the findings of an extensive set of country case studies, devoting special attention to the Canadian case. It derives from these studies the need to reconstruct the frameworks which have been guiding risk management decision making, using forma schemata based on a step-by-step approach. The paper presents and illustrates a revised format for an integrated risk management framework, including a set of specific and explicit objectives that should guide the use of this framework in practice, and concludes by raising policy issues that are currently outstanding with respect to the management of prion disease risks.

Keywords: risk management frameworks; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; BSE; Canada; risk estimation; risk assessment; prion diseases; risk perception; psychosocial impacts; public policy; mad cow disease; decision making.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2010.035935

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2010 Vol.14 No.5, pp.381 - 436

Published online: 09 Oct 2010 *