Abstract
This paper discusses safety goals in the field of chemical risk management. Safety goals have been quantitatively described as a magnitude of risk and applied on genotoxic carcinogens. In the US or European society, 10−5 or 10−4 of lifetime risk as “acceptable risk” and 10−6 of lifetime risk as “de minimis risk” have been applied commonly. 10−4 or 10−3 of lifetime risk is used as a reference value when we characterize risk in the field of occupational health. The historical background of selecting the safety goal values in the US was reviewed. It is challenging and important to identify the safety goals which are suitable for Japanese societal context, and a framework of decision making and review of the social safety goals will be required.
