By Gary Terrazas

The insurance industry in general is fraught with plenty of risks, especially in South Africa. This has resulted in average car motor insurance prices here being very steep. On the whole, insurance costs related to any vehicle can work out to be very expensive here. Even the terms and conditions associated with an insurance policy here can be very stringent. Most car motor insurance policies here will state that all vehicles and cars install vehicle tracking mechanisms or immobilizers. The overall value of the car will decide the extent of premium to be paid each month or quarter.

How it works

The way the car motor insurance sector in South Africa works is that when the car or vehicle gets damaged, the provider pays an amount based on several factors. These factors are assessed in advance and include aspects such as the make and model of your car, how old your car is as well as the relative condition of the car at present, as well as the replacement costs involved. You would need to be the extra remaining amount depending on how old the driver of the car is as well as his or her relative experience in driving. In the case of more experienced drivers you do not need to pay too much excess.

The complexities involved

The car motor insurance companies in South Africa have quite a complex method of determining the premium amounts as well as excess to be paid in case of damages to the car. A lot of the estimated amount will depend largely on the amount of experience you have in driving the vehicle. If you are inexperienced or a first timer in driving, then you would initially need to shell out a large premium amount each month in South Africa. This will continue unless and until you are able to show the car motor insurance company that you are experienced enough to drive safely. On the other hand if you are already an experienced driver then you stand to gain in the long term. For starters, the initial premium amount is much lesser as compared to the ones levied on amateur drivers.

A mandatory requirement

In South Africa it is mandatory to get access to car motor insurance. In fact even if you intend on purchasing a brand new car you still need to invest in insurance beforehand. The financial institution that is granting you the car loan will also insist that you get an insurance done. However, if you are buying a car for the very first time then the experience can be quite scary and intimidating for you!
Preferred insurance companies

Most financial institutions will usually enter into a partnership with a car motor insurance company and when you get a car loan from the financial institution you might be ”coaxed” into going for insurance with this ”preferred insurance provider”. However, you as a consumer need to exercise your right to choice as well as the ability to decide on your own before taking insurance with this car motor insurance company.

About The Author

For more information about short term insurance in South Africa please visit http://www.integrisure.co.za

By Thomas Pretty

Becoming a landlord is often seen by many people as a licence to print money with little stress or effort. This is not always the case however, much of the time being a landlord means making a lot of decisions and putting in a great deal of effort into caring for tenants. The process can be made easier however by employing a letting agent, allowing the landlord a far simpler rental period. In most cases the letting agent takes their fees from the rent, meaning that the landlord must raise their rent should they wish to make the same amount of money than if they were renting the property privately.

For this fee however the letting agent will perform some important tasks. Firstly the agency is responsible for finding tenants for a property, they will also conduct the majority of the paperwork with the tenant meaning that communication between landlord and renter is practically non existent. The agency also has a responsibility to inform the landlord of any problems with the property as well as passing on any concerns the tenant may have with the property or the rental agreement.

There are a large number of letting agents on the market today; in most cases they are listed in local directories although the internet is rapidly becoming the predominant form of advertising and communication. As both a tenant and landlord it is important to use an agent that conforms to the codes of conduct laid down by the National Approved Lettings Scheme and the Association of Residential Letting Agents. By doing this certain assurances of operational practices and principles are secured for both parties.

The reason the landlord pays the agent’’s fees is so that they do not have to undertake certain tasks. One of these major responsibilities is the creation and completion of any paperwork pertaining to the rental property. This is beneficial to the landlord as it negates the need for an extensive legal writing process, saving time and money. The only downside is that the landlord must pay the agent on a monthly basis whereas legal fees are normally a one off payment.

Ultimately however the fees can be seen as worthwhile as they remove much of the stress from the rental process. The agency will normally manage the property on a full time basis acting as a go between for the two parties. Subsequently the agent must relay any communication between the tenant and landlord and where necessary make recommendations to either party. Another responsibility is that the agency must inspect the condition of the property on a regular basis to ensure the landlord’’s investment is not being damaged.

A letting agent however will not perform maintenance tasks on the property; in most cases this is left to the landlord. Reports of any maintenance work however will be recorded by the agency to ensure that both parties are aware of what has been done and whether any follow up work will need to be completed.

Ultimately while utilising agency services is an added cost for a landlord, it is a worthwhile cost in the long run. It can make that licence to print money a very real and attainable possibility. While the landlord can never be truly removed from the rental process the work of the letting agent does allow them some freedom. Putting property up for rent is a long term investment, it will certainly pay for itself in time with or without the use of an agency; it is just an agency will make that time less stressful and more enjoyable.

About The Author

Real estate expert Thomas Pretty looks into how the letting agent can make life easier for landlords. To find out more please visit http://www.haart.co.uk/rent-property/landlords.aspx

By Kristi Ambrose

This was a very interesting topic for me personally because I have been wanting to get into buying and selling real estate for quite awhile now, it’’s just such a great thing to get into, with the buy low fix it up sell high process. I love it! So I found this site today that was really interesting and really got me hyped up, while I”m writing this. I still feel a slight buzz just from checking out the website alone! It’’s crazy I know but wait til you hear all the information these sites offer and then you can decide if it’’s something that would make you hyped up as well or not! Obviously people love information or there wouldn”t be so much content available online for you to look at. Well, these real estate websites in particular offer all sorts of nice little content options you can take a look at to help you decide if you could possibly use their service or not. So what is this service exactly?

By using the resources provided on this site every home buyer and seller in the United States will be able to receive the information they require to make an informed decision by receiving information from a local and qualified Real Estate representative. You can get information such as reports on homes comparable to your home or you can get a report on available homes in your area or wherever it is your buying a home. You can also get something called a market analysis which will allow you to fill out a form to determine your homes worth. For the market analysis it’’s really easy all you have to do is fill out the following information:

Name, Phone number, Email

Property address, Type of property

Square footage, Year built, Number of rooms for bedroom/bathroom, Size of lot, Remodeling options, Choose a garage option and lastly choose where your home is located (ocean view, ocean front, trees, private, river, etc).

Then once you fill out all that information and press the button it will get sent to the representives and they will call you or email you back and let you know what your home is worth. These representatives from these sites (as mentioned above) are qualified in giving you a quote, so there’’s not even a worry about that! You can also get available homes sent to you. All you have to do is fill out contact info, home features, home availability, and a few other personalized options such as certain things you might want your new home to have like a pool, near a park, new home, a home that is X amount of years, etc. Once all your info is filled out, simple click the search button and you will be given a page of available homes in the area you chose! This is really fantastic but easy stuff here. It’’s quick, convenient, and very user-friendly! What else could you ask for?!?

Needless to say these sites could be worth a lot to you even if you aren”t interested in real estate selling and buying and you genuinely want to find a new home you can move in to, you can use these websites for either. They also give you options if you need to sell the home your living in now, if you need information on lenders and or financing. All in all these sites are incredibly information and if nothing else, fill out the forms and at least see what kind of results they can get for you!

About The Author

This Author is a HUGE fan of http://www.monsterhousevalues.com

By James Todman

Every year insurance providers receive a variety of unusual claims, whether it’’s car, motorcycle or minibus insurance. Many involve animals, trees, or inanimate objects.

This article reveals the ten most bizarre and obscure claims, all from genuine sources:

1. One motorist was in such a panic when a wasp flew into his car and up his trouser leg that he hit the accelerator; unfortunately, also hitting the car in front.

2. Cows can be a problem. In one particular instance, a driver claimed that the cow jumped onto his quad bike, presumably by accident rather than with the intention of driving away.

3. In another incident involving a cow the driver described his experience, “As I came over a hill, I hit a cow in the middle of the road, which then hit the bonnet and shattered the windscreen with its rear end”. Thankfully, the cow survived.

4. When driving close to a herd of cattle try to avoid their tongues. In a particularly bizarre insurance claim a motorist stated that the cows caused damage to his car’’s paintwork by licking it.

5. Cows aren”t the only animal causing problems. A driver claimed that a reindeer fell onto the bonnet of his car. Thankfully it wasn”t at Christmas and the reindeer did not have a red nose.

6. When driving in Africa zebras can be difficult, especially if they intentionally collide with your car, as was the case with one claim.

7. Always secure your shopping bags when driving. One driver had the misfortune to find that a potato had fallen out of the bag and had become lodged under his brakes, rending them useless.

8. Bizarrely flying kebabs can be a hazard on the road. Apparently, a driver was rounding a bend when a frozen kebab flew out of his car, hitting a passing car and causing damage.

9. That’’s not the only frozen item causing damage. Another motorist claimed, “A frozen squirrel fell out of a tree and crashed through the windscreen onto the passenger seat”.

10. If flashed at by a speed camera try to contain your anger. One motorist, fed up of being snapped by a speed camera, decided to take his revenge by driving into the post that it was attached to. Unfortunately, the post was stronger than expected, causing him to write off his motor.

Each of these incidents illustrates the importance of having adequate car, motorcycle or minibus insurance. After all, you can never predict when a reindeer might fall from the sky or an unhappy cow exacts her revenge.

About The Author

The Minibus Club is a specialist minibus insurance provider and has offered UK minibus insurance quotes since 1997. Visit their website at http://www.minibusclub.co.uk for minibus driving advice. They listen to every insurance claim, however bizarre it may be.

By Stuart Brown

Here’’s something you may not know! There is a very good chance that the car insurance rate you are paying right now is a direct result of your gender. Sometimes your gender will play a very significant role in the rate that you are quoted for car insurance. When it comes to car insurance rates, women drivers tend to pay cheaper premiums than men. This is because statistically speaking, women drivers tend to be more reliable drivers in general, who drive vehicles which a re safer, and who tend to file significantly less insurance claims.

Not all women drivers are better than men when it comes to driving, but many car insurance companies are picking up on what the statistics are saying, and are adjusting their rates accordingly. This is a common practice for insurance companies both in the United States and in the United Kingdom as well. In fact, in the United Kingdom there are agencies which exist solely to find low cost insurance options for women drivers. Many of these agencies can be found simply by doing a basic search on the internet. Cheap car insurance for lady drivers is typically fairly easy to find, provided that you qualify for the insurance that you are applying for.

Car insurance companies have spent many years doing research on data pertaining to men and women drivers, and many of the findings have pointed directly toward the idea that women drivers are simply safer and more reliable drivers than men are. For example, women drivers do not appear to be involved in near as many accidents as men drivers are, and when they are involved in accidents the amount of damage involved is typically significantly less. This may be because they are more cautious in general, or it may have to do with the fact that they choose safer cars in general. Additionally, women drivers are much more likely to pass their driver’’s license exam on the first try, which is not nearly as typical for male drivers. This has nothing to do with the fact that one gender is more intelligent than the other, and is likely because women take the initiative to spend more time practicing and studying before the exam.

These statistics have led car insurance companies to re-evaluate the way that they offer car insurance premiums to female drivers. As a result, insurance providers are much more likely to offer cheaper car insurance premiums to women drivers than to men. So women are not being offered cheaper rates simply because they are women - They are being offered these rates because the statistics show that it would not be a dangerous bet to offer a lower rate to a safer driver. It has nothing to do with the fact that car insurance companies tend to favor women, or because car insurance companies have been led to believe that gender has anything to do with actual driving skills. All it means is that the statistics have shown that women driver tends to be safer and much more cautious than a male driver, which makes them a safer bet when it comes to automobile insurance risk.

Though women drivers may get lower car insurance rates than men, they are still subjected to all of the exact same criteria when it comes to determining whether or not they will be approved for car insurance, and what quote will be offered to them. All of the following criteria play a part in determining whether or not you will qualify for cheap car insurance.

- The driving record and driving history of the policyholder, and anyone else that will be driving the vehicle.

- The location where the policyholder lives, and where the car will be parked.

- Details about the vehicle, including the make, model and year. Additionally, the vehicle will typically have to pass a safety inspection or at least appear to be in safe working order.

- The credit score and history for the policyholder. Credit history plays a part in whether or not car insurance is awarded in order to insure that insurance is only granted to responsible persons who can handle the monthly premium payments.

- The age and experience of the driver and the policyholder also play a part in the decision. On one hand, many young drivers can acquire special deals and discounts on their insurance policies because they are new to driving, but some insurance policies tend to charge more instead because new and inexperienced drivers are more prone to having accidents or incurring traffic violations which can negatively affect their premiums.

In order to make it easier to find cheap car insurance for lady drivers, it is necessary to practice all of the following:

- Safe driving habits.

- Driving vehicles which are known to be safe.

- Parking or storing vehicles in locations which are safe.

- Paying attention to their driving records and making improvements whenever it is possible.

- Paying attention to their credit scores and reports and making improvements whenever it is possible.

The statistics that have led car insurance companies to offer cheaper premiums to women drivers were never meant to be sexist or discriminatory, but they have done a lot to help women drivers secure car insurance premiums which are inexpensive. This does not mean that men cannot turn around and secure car insurance rates that are just as affordable, but it is generally a lot easier for a female to find the cheap rates than for a male to. Hopefully the rising costs of car insurance premiums will urge more male drivers to take up safe driving habits or to drive cars which are safer in general. If men drove as cautiously as women drivers do, their car insurance premiums would likely be just as inexpensive.

About The Author

For more information about Cheap Car Insurance for Lady Drivers visit http://www.InsuranceSalesman.com where we also have comprehensive guides to Buying Car Insurance with Bad Credit - http://www.insurancesalesman.com/buying-car-insurance-with-bad-credit.htm

By Thomas Pretty

Most savvy businessmen will recognise that operating a company carries an inherent risk that can affect the stability of the operations as well as its financial foundations. This is true for almost all types of business and hence having an expansive insurance policy is vitally important. Those without insurance should be acutely aware that their business is at great risk and hence obtaining insurance is essential. It is hoped that the following article will highlight the importance of insuring a company’’s operations and what is included in the process of signing up to a policy.

Small businesses are especially vulnerable and hence need insurance more than larger companies. This is because smaller companies find it harder to absorb financial difficulties and recover from unexpected circumstances. Subsequently having an effective policy is crucial should a business be protected from unforeseen events, not only does it secure an operation, but reduces stress for the company owner.

Before heading out in fear however it is important to take a conscientious and logical approach to selecting a policy. The first step is to assess exactly the level of cover that will be required. By understanding what parts of the operation must be protected it is possible to secure a policy that suits the needs of the company. The result is a smaller financial expense, as having cover for circumstances that will not arise is a waste of money. Ultimately obtaining only the policy inclusions that are vital to your operations is the preferred outcome.

As with any expenditure it is always advisable to research all of the options out there before making a purchase. Insurance can be befuddling at times although by using internet forums and advice websites it is possible to gain an understanding of exactly what you will need. The other option is to employ an insurance broker, a good one will only present you with what you need and will not give you a policy full of useless inclusions. Once again however researching the history of a particular broker is always advisable; normally using a personal recommendation is the best course of action. Of crucial importance is to ensure you are not underinsured, while it may be cheaper in the short term, it can work out far more expensive in the long run.

Once the research has been complete the next step is to assess the policies on the market and which are the best deal. Remember however that the cheapest price does not always relate to the best deal, in the decision making process the balance between costs and services should always be considered. Shopping around is vital, with so many insurers out there the deals to be had are vast. In some cases it can even be advisable to have different policies with a variety of companies if they offer the best deal on a certain policy inclusion.

Once you have selected the coverage and policies that you require, make sure to read the contract in detail. Make an understanding of exactly what you are paying for, never make assumptions that you are covered for a certain circumstance, finding out you are not covered after the event can become very expensive. Once again this highlights the importance of research in the process.

It is hoped that this article, however brief, has given the reader a better understanding of the world of business insurance. The main point has been the importance of research and a conscientious approach to purchasing. By following this advice your company should receive the right level of cover at an attractive price.

About The Author

Financial expert Thomas Pretty looks at the importance of business insurance and what decisions need to be made when looking at policies. To find out more please visit http://www.lloydstsbbusiness.com/insuring/ebi.asp

By James Todman

Whether it is your own minibus or a hire vehicle it is useful to know what to do in the event of an accident. A claim on your minibus insurance is the usual outcome after an accident. This article outlines the information that needs to be gathered at the scene to prevent any dispute.

As a minibus driver the first consideration after an accident is to make the scene as safe as possible.

1. Switch your minibus hazard lights on. Use a warning triangle if available. Take great care when placing the triangle at least 50 metres away from the vehicle. Warning triangles should never be used on the motorway.

2. Assess your passengers. If any are injured do not move them unless there is an immediate risk from other vehicles or fire. If the minibus must be vacated move the passengers to a safe location as far from the vehicle as possible. Be aware of approaching traffic when exiting the minibus.

3. If needed call the emergency services immediately. Provide them with as much information as possible about the accident scene and any injured passengers. As the minibus driver you will be required to stay at the scene until they arrive.

4. Any injuries should be reported to the Police. Try to keep details of all vehicles and people involved in the accident.

5. If the accident is minor or does not involve other people, check there are no injuries to your passengers and your minibus is roadworthy before continuing with your journey.

When an accident is serious enough that an insurance claim may follow do not admit liability at the scene. As rude as it may seem, do not apologise. This can be interpreted as admitting liability. And do not offer any payment.

The law requires you to give any person who is affected by the accident your details. These should include your name, contact number and the name of you insurance provider. A specialist minibus insurance provider such as The Minibus Club will be able to advise you about this.

It is very important to record all details of an accident. Information should include:

1. Vehicles involved
Record the types of vehicles and their registration number. Obtain the details of the other people involved in the accident including their name, address, contact number, insurance details and policy number.

2. Accident scene
Include details about the weather, visibility and road condition. Estimate the speed of the vehicles prior to the accident. Record the location of the accident, the date and the time. If the police attend the scene then ask for an incident number.

3. Details of Witness
Ask for the name and contact details of any people who witnessed the accident.

The best advice if involved in an accident is to stay calm. Losing your temper, however angry you may feel, will not help an already difficult situation. As a minibus driver your first responsibility is to your passengers and their safety. By taking a controlled approach to the situation will prevent putting others at further risk. The details gathered at the scene of the accident will be valuable information for resolving any legal or minibus insurance issues that may follow.

About The Author

The Minibus Club is a specialist UK minibus insurance provider and has offered competitive minibus insurance quotes since 1997. Visit their website at http://www.minibusclub.co.uk for more minibus driving advice and to receive an online quote for minibus insurance.

By Musa Aykac

So we all know that travel insurance is an essential part of travelling, most tour operator companies will not let you fly without the relevant documentation in place. This being said though, is travel insurance really cracked up to what it should be?

A lot of people do not read through there policy booklet when they take out an insurance policy. People just do not have the time, to look over pages and pages of documentation, that to be honest probably makes no sense to the non technical person. What people do tend to look at when taking out an insurance policy, is the payout limits on the initial page of the booklet.

So you have checked out these limits and are happy with the payout, so decide to purchase a policy from the company in question. You then leave to go on holiday, and the unthinkable happens, an act of terrorism or the beginning stages of a war begin. You start to panic and decide the best thing is not to go, especially if you are travelling with kids.

So you cancel your holiday arrangements and then give a call to your travel insurance company to get your money back. You calmly explain the situation to them, and are then responded to with an automated like reply of, “Sorry, your policy does not provide cover on this occasion”. You are shell shocked, after all is that not the reason you purchased travel insurance? To help you when unlikely situations occur.

You then argue until your blue in the face, but the company responds with “It’’s all written in the terms and conditions”. So you put the phone down and decide to read through your policy, you can see nothing that states this, but then you turn to your final page and look at the small print exclusions. You are devastated; you have lost all of your hard earned money.

Well many travel insurance policies have a variety of small prints; you should carefully read through the whole policy before deciding to travel. Do not only rely on a sales team member, to give you information, as it is down to you to read through the policy itself.

Make sure that you do not rush into travel insurance deals, as this could have major repercussions on your finance. Let’’s for example say you got stuck in a country abroad and your travel insurance would not help you. You would have to turn to your credit card or a loan to get you back, which will have you paying interest and cost you more in the long run.

About The Author

Safari Holidays - http://www.africasky.co.uk

By Stuart Brown

Health and life insurance are important, but recently, they are becoming harder for most of us to afford. Residents of California, where prices are high on all kinds of goods and services, may find themselves hard pressed to get health or life insurance that meets their needs and does not break the bank. One of the best places to start looking for an affordable insurance plan is the Internet.

Many insurance providers have websites that will give you information about their policies and even generate quotes online. You have only to enter a small amount of personal information into a web form and quotes will return either through your browser, or in an email.

There are many sites online which carry information for many companies simultaneously, and can give you prices and quotes for a number of different insurers quickly and easily. Searching online for your new insurance policy gives you access to the greatest number of providers and the greatest amount of information without a hassle. It could take you far longer to find the same information through conventional means, and not all of it is even available off line.

Some sites also provide handy applications such as financial calculators and needs estimators to help you figure out what criteria you need to consider when looking for a new health or life insurance policy.

Once you have gathered together the quotes you would like to consider, you may want to take them to a professional to help you with working out which policies are best for you and your needs. Some insurance companies sites or quote providers sites will allow you to contact a professional insurance adviser through them for this purpose. Generally life and health insurance do not vary a great deal from company to company, so its the price and service that you are concerned about.

You should review consumer opinions and ratings on the companies you are considering. These ratings and an insurance adviser can tell you whether a company has a reputation for raising its rates suddenly, or hassling customers about health claims that they have submitted. You want your insurance provider to be friendly and helpful in your times of need, but since insurance is a for-profit business, some companies can only see their bottom lines. Finding out what others online think about a given insurance company is one way to weed out the ones that are only looking for profit and find the companies that will serve you well.

The insurance business is particularly competitive in California, so you could benefit greatly from looking online for the best rate. Quote sites and online research can help you find the best health or life insurance policy for your needs and budget. Be sure to check up on any companies that you find this way, to prevent falling prey to a scam. Deals that sound too good to be true often carry hidden charges that will cost you more over the life of the policy than you will save.

About The Author

For more information about Health and Life Insurance in California visit http://www.InsuranceSalesman.com

Where we have comprehensive guides to How to Find Affordable Health Insurance in Long Beach, California - http://www.insurancesalesman.com/health-insurance-long-beach.html

By Tarun Jaswani

In the estimation of the risks, three or more steps are involved, requiring the inputs of different disciplines.

The first step, Hazard Identification, aims to determine the qualitative nature of the potential adverse consequences of the contaminant (chemical, radiation, noise, etc.) and the strength of the evidence it can have that effect. This is done, for chemical hazards, by drawing from the results of the sciences of toxicology and epidemiology. For other kinds of hazard, engineering or other disciplines are involved.

The second step for chemical risk assessment, Dose-Response Analysis, is determining the relationship between dose and the probability or the incidence of effect (dose-response assessment). The complexity of this step in many contexts derives mainly from the need to extrapolate results from experimental animals (e.g. mouse, rat) to humans, and/or from high to lower doses. In addition, the differences between individuals due to genetics or other factors mean that the hazard may be higher for particular groups, called susceptible populations. An alternative to dose-response estimation is to determine an effect unlikely to yield observable effects. In developing such a dose, to account for the largely unknown effects of animal to human extrapolations, increased variability in humans, or missing data, a prudent approach is often adopted by including safety factors in the estimate of the “safe” dose, typically a factor of 10 for each unknown step.

The third step, Exposure Quantification, aims to determine the amount of a contaminant (dose) that individuals and populations will receive. This is done by examining the results of the discipline of exposure assessment. As different location, lifestyles and other factors likely influence the amount of contaminant that is received, a range or distribution of possible values is generated in this step. Particular care is taken to determine the exposure of the susceptible population(s).

Finally, the results of the three steps above are then combined to produce an estimate of risk. Because of the different susceptibilities and exposures, this risk will vary within a population. The decisions based on the application of risk assessment are sometimes based on a standard of protecting those most at risk. This problem raises the question of how small a segment of a population must be protected.

If the risk is higher for a particular sub-population because of abnormal exposure rather than susceptibility, there is a potential to consider strategies to further reduce the exposure of that subgroup. If an identifiable sub-population is more susceptible due to inherent genetic or other factors, there is a policy choice whether to set policies for protecting the general population that are protective of such groups (as is currently done for children when data exists, or is done under the Clean Air Act for populations such as asthmatics) or whether if the group is too small, or the costs to high. Sometimes, a suitable position is to at least limit the risk of the more susceptible to some risk level above which it seems too inequitable to leave them out of the risk.

he idea of not increasing lifetime risk by more than one in a million has become common place in public health discourse and policy. How consensus settled on this particular figure is unclear. In some respects, this figure has the characteristics of a mythical number. In another sense, the figure provides a numerical basis for what to consider a negligible increase in risk. In part, the one in a million benchmark arose early in public health risk assessment history when risk assessment was a tempering analysis to existing statutory language such as the Delaney Clause prohibition on any use of introduced carcinogens or where environmental statutes were using a “best technology” decision rule. Some current environmental decision making allows some discretion to deem individual risks potentially “acceptable” if below one in ten thousand increased lifetime risk. Low risk criteria such as these do provide some protection for the case that individuals may be exposed to multiple chemicals (whether pollutants or food additives, or other chemicals). But both of these benchmarks are clearly small relative to the typical one in four lifetime risk of death by cancer (due to all causes combined) in developed countries.

Individuals may be tempted to advocate the adoption of a zero-risk policy. After all the 1 in a million policy would still cause the death of hundreds or thousands, of people in a large enough population. In practice however, a true zero-risk is possible only with the suppression of the risk-causing activity. More stringent requirements, or even the 1 in a million one, may not be technologically feasible at a given time, or so expensive as to render the risk-causing activity unsustainable.

In the interest of public health, the risks vs. benefits of the possible alternatives must be carefully considered. For example, it might well be that the emissions from hospital incinerators result in a certain number of deaths per year. However, this risk must be balanced against the available alternatives. In some unusual cases, there are significant public health risks, as well as economic costs, associated with all options. For example, there are risks associated with no incineration (with the potential risk for spread of infectious diseases) or even no hospitals. But, often further investigation identifies further options, such as separating noninfectious from infectious wastes, or air pollution controls on a medical incinerator, that provide a broad range of options of acceptable risk - though with varying practical implications and varying economic costs. Intelligent thought about a reasonably full set of options is essential. Thus, it is not unusual for there to be an iterative process between analysis, consideration of options, and then further analysis.

About The Author

http://www.quickonlineclaims.co.uk