Development of Communication Method for Eavironmental risks with PRTR data

PRTR制度于2003年3月首次公布，预计将鼓励私营公司和各级政府就化学物质管制进行有效的风险沟通。重要的是要了解这些数据的实际使用和风险沟通的现状。我们对各地区和特大城市的地方政府以及东京的私人公司进行了问卷调查。结果表明，这两个小组还没有充分实施实质性的风险沟通措施，同时促进了PRTR数据的传播。除了问卷调查外，我们还对几家工厂进行了风险沟通方法的社会实验。关于不同利益相关者之间的风险沟通过程的案例研究很少，而风险沟通的重要性正在逐渐增加。这主要是因为很难设置圆桌会议进行讨论，以及缺乏与风险相关的信息学。利用2003年3月首次公布的PRTR数据，崎玉县川谷市的两家化工厂作为一个地区性组织和地方政府管理的示范项目，开展了一系列风险沟通活动。我们对这些活动的参与者进行了问卷调查，并就本次实验项目的框架进行了讨论。这项调查的结果暗示了以下两点。通过这些沟通活动，许多参与者回应说，他们增加了对公司风险管理措施的依赖。然而，风险信息的质量并不完全令人满意。它们，特别是关于危害程度、扩散过程以及每种物质的个人风险水平。

Published in March of 2003 for the first time, PRTR system are expected to encourage effective risk communication for chemical substances control by private companies and various levels of governments. It is important to make dear current situation on practical use of those data and risk communication. We conducted a questionnaire survey for local governments of prefectures and mega-cities, as well as private companies in Tokyo. The results suggested that both groups have not fully implemented substantial measures of risk communication yet, while promoting the dissemination of PRTR data. In addition, some of requests for another group are different each other.In addition to questionnaire survey, we conducted social experiments on risk communication method for several factories. There are few case studies which dealt with risk communication process among various stakeholders, while the importance of risk communication is gradually increasing. It is mainly because of the difficulty of setting of roundtable for discussion as well as the shortage of risk-related informatics. With PRTR data, which were published in March of 2003 for the first time, two chemical factories in Kawagoe City of Saitama Prefecture conducted a series of risk communication activities as a model project managed by a regionally based organization and local governments. We conducted questionnaire survey for participants of these activities, as well as committing a discussion about the framework of this experimental project. The result of this survey implies the following two points. Through these communication activities, many participants respond that they increased the reliance on risk management measures by companies. Quality of risk information, however, did not fully satisfied. them, especially on hazard level, diffusion process, and the level of personal risk of each substances.