About the Project
As a result of electromagnetic pollution, the production and application of nanoscale particles for a wide range of different purposes, a large consumption of dietary supplements as well as the dissemination of the mad cow desease (BSE) complex arenas of (sub-)political debates about well known and suspected risks have been established. Society and every single person is confronted with a tremendous complexity and rapid dynamic of a large number of contradictory expertise and media reports.
The term "Systemic Risk" especially comprises the various dynamics and changeability of these risks. Particularly within the field of risk communication and risk management new institutional and societal strategies are required to deal with these novel risks. A new form of societal practice with systemic risks will be developed in this project.
Aim of the Project
The aim of the reseach project is to develop an internet based visualisation of risk related controversies as argumentation maps on the basis of two exemplary case studies: dietary supplements and nanoscale particles. These argumentation maps will be developed by an interdisciplinary research team of sociologists, natural scientists, computer scientists as well as partners and advisors from industry, poltics and academia. With these agrumentation maps users will be provided with detailed information about public debats on risks concerning dietary supplements and nanoscale particles. These maps show actors, materials and arguments and their (formally unseen) connections, relations and interactions. Main focus will be given on showing a broad overview of the most commonly discussed arguments and matters of dispute within the case studies (details see below). Different perspectives and opinions of participated and affected poltical, industrial and public actors as well as social groups will be presented. The maps will be completed by documents and reference texts as well as basic information about risk related substances.
Scientific methods of discourse analysis and (actor-)network analysis will help us to describe knowledge-claims, risk-concepts and locally based risk assessments from the different perspectives of nearly every affected actor. Based on these findings, the data structure, visualisation methods and the useability of the grafical user interface will be improved step by step in close cooperation with partners from policy, industry, academia etc. Stakeholder workshops and periodical meetings with our partners will guarantee the development of a new prototype tool for mapping debates on systemic risks.
Case Studies
1. Nanoscale Materials and Particles
Since the 1990's nanotechnology promises potential beneficial impacts on economy and society. As a Result of this new technology nowadays there is an incresing production and application of nanoscale particles for a wide range of different purposes e.g. daily consumer products.
Typically nanomaterials have structure sizes smaller than 100 nm. Due to its small size and therefore extremely surface-to-volume ratio nanomaterials have completely new chemical and physical properties differing significantly from bulk materials.
In recent times an increasing number of sceptical voices concerning nanotechnology and nanoscale materials can be heard in the public. Most critics focus on potential health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. This can be illustrated by several articles in newspapers and scientific journals discussing potential negative effects and risks of nanoparticle applications. By the way the discussion on risks of nanomaterials is very similar to the discussion on negative effects and health risks of asbestos in the 1970's.
Altough nanotechnology in most fields is still at an experimental stage, the next few years will probably see a dramatic increase in the industrial production and use of nanoparticles. Therefore debates about the impacts and emerging risks of nanoscale particles will rise, too.
2. Dietary Supplements
Today there is a growing trend towards the consumption of dietary supplement products worldwide. In Europe, sales of products in the dietary supplement market approached $ 4 billion in 2005. More than 20 million Germans take vitamins or dietary supplements daily.
As a result of this an increasing number of different dietary supplement products (vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, etc.) can be purchased at grocery stores, health food stores, drug stores or can be ordered online.
Yet despite the popularity of dietary supplements to promote a better health, not everyone who uses them is well informed about all of their properties. An overused consumption and even regular supplementation with e.g. vitamin E, beta carotene and vitamin A may increase health risks.
Although they are widely used, the consumtion of dietary supplements is controversial in relation to their efficacy and safety and much recent research has been published considering these questions. However, despite several scientific studies and the broad media coverage, consumers are still confused with the often contradictory information. And in some cases there is still lack of evidence that dietary supplements have positive health effects. Altogether the regulation of dietary supplements is still insufficient and yet there is no registration approval nessecary to sell dietary supplement products in the market.
Fundings and Cooperations
The research project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) within the social ecological research (SÖF) programme "Strategies to Cope with Systemic Risks". The project is accomplished by the Munich Institute for Social and Sustainability Research (MPS) and the Environment Science Center (WZU) at the University of Augsburg (WZU) in cooperation with the Software and Consulting GmbH (SoUCon).
To guarantee a problem-oriented analysis of the case studies and an adequate transfer of information into politics, industry, academia etc. cooperations are arranged with several practice partners fom different sectors: World Environment Center (WEC, Washington), gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Kooperationsforschung mbH (DIALOGIK, Stuttgart), International Risk Governance Council (IRGC, Genf), Münchner Rück AG (München), Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (Dept. Forschungskoordination und Risikoanalyse, Erlangen).
Finally the research project is attending the international network of "Cartography of Scientific Controversies" (www.ccscgroup.org) initiated by Prof. Dr. Bruno Latour (École des Mines, Paris) and Dr. Warren Sack (UC Berkeley). The project is also linked to the "Galerie der Forschung" at the Austrian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Dr. Albena Yaneva.
