Transfusion Medicine Reviews
Volume 17, Issue 2 , Pages 89-94 , April 2003

The application of the precautionary principle to the blood system: The Canadian blood system's vCJD donor deferral policy

References 

  1. Foster KR, Vecchia P, Repacholi MH. Science and the precautionary principle. Science. 2000;288:979–980
  2. Wilson K, Hebert P, Laupacis A, et al.  A policy analysis of major decisions related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the blood supply. CMAJ. 2001;165:59–65
  3. Kriebel D, Tickner J. The precautionary principle and public health. Reenergizing public health through precaution. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:1351–1355
  4. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development . Earth Summit. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Stockholm: United Nations; 1992; Publ no. E.73II.A.14
  5. reprinted in 31 ILM 247 art 130r(2) (1992) Treaty Establishing the European Community. Feb 7, 1992;
  6. VanderZwaag D. The precautionary principle in environmental law and policy: Elusive rhetoric and first embraces. J Environ Law Pract. 1999;8:355–374
  7. In: ed 1.  Tickner J,  Raffensperger C,  Myers N editor. The Precautionary Principle in Action. A Handbook. Ames, IA: Science and Environmental Network; 1998; Components of precaution
  8. Jacob M, Hellstrom T. Policy understanding of science, public trust and the BSE-CJD crisis. J Hazard Mater. 2000;78:303–317
  9. Goldstein BD. The precautionary principle and scientific research are not antithetical. Environ Health Perspect. 1999;107:A594–A595
  10. Morris J. Defining the precautionary principle. In:  Morris J editors. Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2000;p. 1–21
  11. EU communication on precautionary principle. Brussels. Available at http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/precaution-4.htmlFeb 2, 2000; Accessed May 30, 2002
  12. Krever H. The blood system for the future: Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada. Final Report. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Government Publishing; 1997;
  13. Will RG, Ironside JW, Zeidler M, et al.  A new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the UK. Lancet. 1996;347:921–925
  14. Bruce ME, Will RG, Ironside JW, et al.  Transmissions to mice indicate that “new variant” CJD is caused by the BSE agent. Nature. 1997;389:498–501
  15. Department of Health press release on CJD/ BSE (United Kingdom 98/076) Further precautionary measures on blood products announced. February 26, 1998;
  16. Room C302 Sir F. Banting Building Item 5 Expert advisory committee on blood regulation-minutes. April 23, 1998;
  17. Cashman NR. New variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the Canadian blood supply: Scientific basis of risk. Report for Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. January 15, 1999;
  18. ElSaadany S, Giulivi A. Comprehensive risk assessment for vCJD in France and other countries for Canadians and the Canadian blood supply. Blood Borne Pathogens Division. Health Canada June 26, 2000;
  19. Directive D99-02. Therapeutic Products Programme. Health Canada Donor exclusion to address theoretical risk of transmission of variant CJD through the use of commercial blood products. August 17, 1999;
  20. ElSaadany S, Giulivi A. Comprehensive risk assessment for vCJD in France and other countries for Canadians and the Canadian blood supply. Blood Borne Pathogens Division. Health Canada June 26, 2000;
  21. Human, health implications, notification, and slaughter and compensation (vol 3-5). The Inquiry into BSE and Variant CJD in the United Kingdom. The BSE Inquiry: The Report. Available at http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk20 Nov 2000; Accessed October 8, 2001
  22. Miller HI, Conko G. Precaution without principle. Nat Biotechnol. 2001;19:302–303
  23. Anderson C. Cholera epidemic traced to risk miscalculation. Nature. 1991;354:255
  24. Attaran A, Maharaj R. Doctoring malaria badly: The global campaign to ban DDT. BMJ. 2000;321:1403–1405
  25. Slovic P. Perception of risk. Science. 1987;236:280–285
  26. Article 16 of Directive 90/220/EEC. Council Directive of 23 April 1990 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms. Official Journal of the European Communities, 8.5.90, p L 117/15
  27. Annex 1 of Protocol to the 1979 Convention of the long-range transboundary air pollution on persistent organic pollutants. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Available at http://www.unece.org/env/lrtap/protocol/98pop_a/annex1.htmOctober 4, 2001; Accessed
  28. Phthalates and Cosmetic Products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Cosmetics and Colors Fact Sheet. Available at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/ ̃dms/cos-phth.htmlApril 19, 2001; Accessed Oct. 4, 2001

☆ Supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

☆☆ Address reprint requests to Kumanan Wilson, MD, MSc, FRCP(C), ENG-254, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4 Canada.

★ 0887-7963/03/1702-0001$30.00/0

PII: S0887-7963(03)90000-9

doi: 10.1016/S0887-7963(03)90000-9

Transfusion Medicine Reviews
Volume 17, Issue 2 , Pages 89-94 , April 2003

Article Tools