Presented by: Dr Michael Clark, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency
Date and time: 12:30 – 14:00 – Thursday 13 December, 2007

Scientific evidence for harmful long-term effects on health of radiation and chemicals is often presumed to be overwhelming, but is this the case? As human population rises and global industrialisation continues during the 21st century there are likely to be more radiation and chemical hazards emerging, but how should we assess the risks to make sure that appropriate resources are made available to reduce them? And how should we allow for genuine uncertainties in our knowledge, particularly when new technologies are involved.

Dr Michael Clark is a scientific spokesman for the Health Protection Agency and is responsible for the Press and Information Group at the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards at Chilton. He is a physical sciences graduate of the University of Sussex and obtained his PhD at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London. His research background is in radiation measurements, risk assessments and nuclear safety. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Tennessee.