Sharon Schwartz, PhD, Dept. of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-7789, sbs5@columbia.edu

At the cord of the precautionary principle is an obligation to protect populations against reasonably foreseeable threats, even under conditions of uncertainty. As the core discpline of public health, epidemiology can illuminate for the historian some of the difficult questions regarding risk, causality, and uncertainty. This presentation will briefly review the epidemiological perspective on causality and risk. It will further discuss the implications of different types of error in assessing causality and risk for public policy decisions.

Learning Objectives:

• Illuminate key epidemiological concepts
• Apply those concepts in the context of debate regarding the precautionary principle and risk
• Inform historical analyses related to risk evaluation

Keywords: Epidemiology, Risk Factors

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.