[Probability of Causation (PC): historical motivations and legal transposition]. 2017

Giorgio Trenta
Presidente emerito AIRM - Roma.

The Probability of Causation (PC) was introduced to compensate objectively and more possible legally the U.S. diseased subjects involved in the nuclear armament activities. The methodology is related to the attributable risk concept, but it is widely different from it, since it doesn't evaluate the "attributablity" from a collective point of view, but from a "personalistic" point, that is from the particular exposure condition, from the specific physical parameters and from the biological individual features of the single exposed subject. So the PC become an evaluation of the harm probability "tailored" for "that" specific exposed person, on the basis of the epidemiological indications coming from an exposed group with very similar characteristics of the under investigation individual. This is clearly possible owing to the large and exhaustive amount of epidemiological studies in the specific field of radiation exposure. The process to reach the PC adoption took a long time, was plodding and politically thwarted and various reexaminations and bills during time were necessary to extended the laws to the different exposure categories. Now in the U.S. three departments (Health, Energy and Labour) are involved in the evaluation processes; they gather the personal, dosimetric and clinical data and with a computer program (usable on line also) based on the updated knowledge, evaluate the eligibility for compensation on the basis of the "more likely than not" criterion. The method meets the interest and the favor at international level and organizations in prominent positions in the pacific use of nuclear energy and in the radiation protection fields, like: NCRP, IAEA, WHO, ILO,... fight for it use. Now many institutional organism and the more enlightened justice courts utilize the PC to settle cases (increasing in frequency) in work and health activities, for which more often compensation claims are dealing with.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011336 Probability The study of chance processes or the relative frequency characterizing a chance process. Probabilities
D011832 Radiation Injuries Harmful effects of non-experimental exposure to ionizing or non-ionizing radiation in VERTEBRATES. Radiation Sickness,Radiation Syndrome,Injuries, Radiation,Injury, Radiation,Radiation Injury,Radiation Sicknesses,Radiation Syndromes,Sickness, Radiation,Sicknesses, Radiation,Syndrome, Radiation,Syndromes, Radiation
D011835 Radiation Protection Methods and practices adopted to protect against RADIATION. Protection, Radiation
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069079 Radiation Exposure Phenomenon in which organisms are subjected to radiation. Exposure, Radiation
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D016273 Occupational Exposure The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents that occurs as a result of one's occupation. Exposure, Occupational,Exposures, Occupational,Occupational Exposures
D018570 Risk Assessment The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988) Assessment, Risk,Benefit-Risk Assessment,Risk Analysis,Risk-Benefit Assessment,Health Risk Assessment,Risks and Benefits,Analysis, Risk,Assessment, Benefit-Risk,Assessment, Health Risk,Assessment, Risk-Benefit,Benefit Risk Assessment,Benefit-Risk Assessments,Benefits and Risks,Health Risk Assessments,Risk Analyses,Risk Assessment, Health,Risk Assessments,Risk Benefit Assessment,Risk-Benefit Assessments

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