Workshop on the Science of Safety for High Consequence Materials

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High consequence materials are materials that if released into the environment in an uncontrolled manner, might cause damage or harm to people, animals and the Earth, itself. Examples of such materials include nuclear waste, biological contagions for which there is no cure (like the Ebola virus), and even return samples from outer space that may harbor unknown compounds or life forms. The chance of contamination of the general public by any of these materials is extremely small, however, there are professionals that are exposed to these types of dangers on a regular basis. Since these professionals must handle these materials, it is paramount not only for their safety, but for the safety of the general public, to take extreme measures to ensure that any and all possible mistakes are minimized and contained. This workshop explores current practices and difficulties of handling these types of materials with the goal of learning common methods and practices that cut across all such materials. This is referred to as the "science of safety" and it promises to benefit national priorities by making dangerous materials safer and more productive, by protecting citizens, healthcare workers, emergency responders, and researchers from accidental exposure, and by promoting business by streamlining procedures and improving work environments. The workshop will bring together 20 experts in US and 10 experts from Japan, France, Korea, Sweden, UK, Spain, and Italy. International collaboration will be expanded through this project via lessons learned from our international partners. International participation is particularly important because the unique nature and infrequent occurrence of exposure events make it desirable to gather the most pertinent experiences from around the world. Japan, Korea, France and the United Kingdom are particularly sought for their complementary strengths in both nuclear and biological fields.