This concluding chapter provides a roadmap for future studies of inductive risk by drawing attention to three particularly important sets of questions that emerge from Exploring Inductive Risk: (1) the nature of inductive risk, the argument from inductive risk (AIR), and the distinction between the direct and indirect roles for values; (2) the extent to which the AIR can be evaded by defenders of the value-free ideal; and (3) the strategies that the scientific community can employ to handle inductive risk in a responsible fashion. This chapter not only highlights these questions as they emerge in this volume but also shows how they connect with the previous literature on inductive risk.
Radon is considered to be the main source of human exposure to natural radiation. As stated by the World Health Organization, the exposure due to the inhalation of indoor radon is much greater than the one via the ingestion of water as radon degasses from water during handling. In response to these concerns about the universal presence of radon, environmental assessment studies are regularly commissioned to assess the radon exposure of public and workers. The credibility of such studies relies on the quality and reliability of radon analysis as well as on the sample representativeness of the radiological situation. The standard-setting approach, based on consensus, seemed to lend itself to a settlement of technical aspects of potential comparison. At present, two Working Groups of the International Standardization Organization are focussing on drafting standards on radon and its decay products measurement in air and water. These standards, which aim for a set of rigorous metrology practices, will be useful for persons in charge of the initial characterisation of a site with respect to natural radioactivity as well as to those performing the routine surveillance of specific sites.
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