LIFE YEARS LOST AT HAZARDOUS-WASTE SITES - REMEDIATION WORKER FATALITIES VS. CANCER DEATHS TO NEARBY RESIDENTS

We present a hypothetical case study using the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) metric to compare cancer risks incurred by residents livi ng near a Superfund site to occupational fatality risks incurred by wo rkers employed in that site's remediation. Since cancer occurs late in life, and because we assume its mortality rate is 60%, each case resu lts in 8.8 YPLL. Each occupational fatality, which typically occurs ea rlier in life, results in 38.1 YPLL. In our case study, the residentia l population of 5000 incurred 1.3 YPLL, compared to 5.7 YPLL incurred by the 500 workers. Several uncertain assumptions may influence our ca lculations; moreover, occupational risks may be viewed as more ''volun tary'' than risks incurred by residents. However, because the magnitud e of the YPLL incurred by workers and residents may be comparable, ris k managers should consider occupational risks when evaluating remedial alternatives.