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The Global Harm of Swedish Precaution

POLICY FORUM
Friday, November 16, 2001
12:00 p.m.

Featuring Robert Nilsson, Professor of Toxicology, University of Stockholm.

The Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001


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In 1969, Sweden adopted the first "precautionary principle" legislation in the world. From that first step, Sweden has led the world with legislation that has made it harder to bring new technologies to the market and banned existing "safe" technologies. Robert Nilsson, professor of toxicology at the University of Stockholm, was initially a supporter of those policies but now believes that they are denying science its proper role in risk assessment and depriving consumers of useful technologies.

Professor Nilsson will explain how Swedish regulators have been successfully exporting parts of the Swedish legislation to the rest of Europe. His analysis is a salutary lesson for any country that considers only the possible benefits of the precautionary principle, and not the costs, which can be significant.

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