Chateauraynaud, Francis
At the Frontier of Health Safety: Metrological Controversies on Low Doses and Endocrine Disruptors
- 2014.
90
The issue of low doses has a long history, initially stemming from radioactivity. It can be followed up through a series of metrological controversies about risk assessment on environmental health issues. Building on recent developments of public policy around the hazards linked to endocrine disruptors, this paper offers an exploration of different epistemic logics shaping research and expertise circles involved in low doses issues. Relying on a literature review, participative observation and a series of interviews with experts, this paper examines cognitive and technical supports used by the experts, and strives to depict the pragmatic conditions of a so-called “paradigm shift”, purported to reshape the key concepts and tools of toxicology for the 21th century.