| Abstract: | This paper presents a framework for exploring the temporal and behavioral aspects of the responses of various involved parties that may lead to governmental intervention in situations involving exposure of the public to hazardous substances. The activities of key individuals are closely scrutinized. Relevance of the framework to agricultural and food concerns is also indicated. The exemplary case is the contamination of livestock in Michigan that began in 1973, but other cases are discussed that conform closely to the pattern described by the framework.George Morren is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ecology in the Department of Human Ecology at Cook College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where he coordinates the International Environmental Studies Program. His areas of interest include tropical human ecology and social responses to hazards. He has done field research in Papua, New Guinea, northern Europe, and the U. S. and is currently studying public participation in environmental affairs in New Jersey and long term forest change in Papua, New Guinea. He is co-author (with Kathleen Wilson) ofSystems Approaches for Improvement in Agriculture and Resource Management, MacMillan, 1990. |
