The Eugene Railyard and The Precautionary Principle

What Is It?

• The Precautionary Principle says that the first priority is protecting our health.
• It asserts our right to air, water, land and food that won’t hurt us.
• It says, “Better safe than sorry,” acknowledging that in our complex world, scientists often cannot    predict what impact toxic exposures will have on our health.
• The Precautionary Principle provides guidelines for seeking out the safest ways to accomplish our activities while recognizing the limits of our scientific knowledge.

What Does It Do?

It is a guiding principle for government officials, companies, and citizens to use in making decisions about potentially hazardous activities. It demands more rigorous, honest, and complete scientific analysis of possible hazards and alternatives. It encourages us to be both cost-effective and caring, by preventing harm before it happens, rather than by trying to cure illness or clean up pollution after they occur. It can protect our health in ways that current laws do not by making sure community health is prioritized in government policies and business plans.

How Will It Change Things?

Incorporating the Precautionary Principle into laws, regulations, and policies would fundamentally guide governments to take another look at the way that environmental, land-use and health decisions are made, so that we can:

• Ask “how can we protect health,” instead of asking how many cancers per thousand is an “acceptable” level;
• Select the safest alternative technologies and materials to meet our needs;
• Require that manufacturers of products and chemicals, not the public, demonstrate that they have selected the safest alternatives;
• Fully involve the public in making democratic decisions regarding their lives and health;
• Move closer to creating sustainable communities by preventing harm from the outset;
• Create a market for sustainable technologies and goods.

How Is It Already Used?

Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Mendocino and New York have all adopted the precautionary principle into city policies.  The Principle is central to the “Rio Declaration,” an international agreement signed by the U.S. at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro. In concept, it is at the heart of many environmental policies based on clean production and pollution prevention. 

How Could It Apply To Eugene's Railyard Contamination Problem?

• Taking a “Better safe than sorry” approach would help protect health and property values. 
• Take action NOW to protect families in those residences where toxic vapors have been found
• Decommission irrigation wells and compensate owners in the River Road neighborhood
• Test for vapor intrusion in all homes “over the plume”
• Install a permanent air toxics monitoring station to assess air quality in West Eugene
• Require that diesel emissions from rail yard and toxic emissions from industrial activities be reduced from current levels and further reduced over time – the technology exists to do it!