Just stumbled upon this in Baron’s Thinking and Deciding:
“For example, Breyer (1993) argues that the removal of asbestos from school buildings might, if it were done throughout the United States, would cost about $100,000,000,000 and save about 400 lives over a period of 40 years. This comes to $250,000,000 per life saved. (And it might not save any lives at all in total, because it endangers the workers who do the removal.)”—BARON, J. Thinking and Deciding, p.502. New York : Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Does anyone know more about the actual implementation/figures? If it was anywhere close to truth, it could serve as PlayPumps-style example of ridiculously ineffective altruism for x-risk.
Not necessarily, but it’s a risk management issue, so it seems like a good fit. Could be equally useful for other EA causes, though. I’ll look at it after I’m done with my finals in a week or so.
Just stumbled upon this in Baron’s Thinking and Deciding:
“For example, Breyer (1993) argues that the removal of asbestos from school buildings might, if it were done throughout the United States, would cost about $100,000,000,000 and save about 400 lives over a period of 40 years. This comes to $250,000,000 per life saved. (And it might not save any lives at all in total, because it endangers the workers who do the removal.)”—BARON, J. Thinking and Deciding, p.502. New York : Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Does anyone know more about the actual implementation/figures? If it was anywhere close to truth, it could serve as PlayPumps-style example of ridiculously ineffective altruism for x-risk.
Why “for x-risk” in particular?
Not necessarily, but it’s a risk management issue, so it seems like a good fit. Could be equally useful for other EA causes, though. I’ll look at it after I’m done with my finals in a week or so.