Communicating Risk to the Public Workshop

9:00   Registration and continental breakfast

9:30   Welcome and Introductions
         Jennifer Griffith, NEWMOA; James Rice, Brown University

9:45   Social, Psychological, and Economic Considerations
         James Rice, Brown University
                 – How do people think, and how does this affect risk communication?

10:15 When is an Exposure Toxic and What is Toxicity?
         Kim Boekelheide, Brown University
                  – What can an expert witness say about toxicology? Where do the numbers
come from? Do mouse models make sense? How does a toxicologist
extrapolate from animal models? What does that mean for my kid?

11:00 Break

11:15 Controlling and Managing Your Message
         Laurie Rardin, Dartmouth College Superfund Research Program
                   – Dartmouth SRP Case Study: Arsenic in Food Products

11:45 Understanding Today’s News Media
         Sunshine Menezes, Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting
                   – Where do reporters get their information nowadays? What do they
latch onto?

12:15 Lunch

1:15   Delivering a Message to the Community
           Lenny Siegel, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
                 – Where do you start? How do you handle homeowner access for drinking
water & indoor air testing? What about public meetings?

2:30   Break

2:45   Gorham Silver Site:  A Case Study in Risk Communication
          Robert Vanderslice, Rhode Island Department of Health
                 – Including challenges & lessons learned recommendations

3:15   Risk Communication Planning: The Process
          Madeleine Scammell, Boston University
                  – How do you move forward?  Identify goals; Assess knowledge; Message
methods; Plan implementation

4:00   Adjourn