An ethical dimension to accident management and health surveillance.
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- Category: Articles
- Published: Wednesday, 07 April 2021 15:57
OUGHTON D., LIUTSKO L., MIDORIKAWA S., PIRARD P., SCHNEIDER T., TOMKIV Y.
Environment International 153 (April 2021)
Abstract:
Many radiation protection actions carry a multitude of direct and indirect consequences that can impact on the welfare of affected populations. Health surveillance raises ethical challenges linked to privacy and data pro- tection, as well as questions about the net bene t of screening. The SHAMISEN project recognized these issues and developed speci c recommendations to highlight ethical challenges. Following a brief overview of ethical issues related to accident management, this paper presents the SHAMISEN recommendations: R1 The fundamental ethical principle of doing more good than harm should be central to accident management; and R4 Ensure that health surveillance respects the autonomy and dignity of affected populations, and is sensitive to any inequity in the distribution of risks and impacts. While a holistic approach to accident management means that decisions will be complicated by different values, perceptions and uncertainties about outcomes, addressing ethical issues could help ensure that the assumptions and potential con icts behind eventual decisions are as transparent as possible.
(A-1442)