Ch 6-Environmental Risk Analysis

Front 1

Risk

Back 1

The chance of something bad happening

Front 2

Voluntary Risk

Back 2

Risk that is deliberately assumed at an individual level

Front 3

Involuntary Risk

Back 3

Risk beyond one's control and not the result of a willful decision

Front 4

Environmental Risk

Back 4

Involuntary risk of exposure to an environmental hazard

Front 5

Hazard

Back 5

Source of the environmental damage

Front 6

Exposure

Back 6

Pathways between the source of the damage and the affected population or resource

Front 7

Risk assessment

Back 7

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to health or the ecology by an environmental hazard

Front 8

Hazard Identification

Back 8

Scientific analysis to determine whether a causal relationship exists between a pollutant and any adverse effects
-1st step of risk assessment

Front 9

Dose-Response Relationship

Back 9

A quantitative relationship between doses of a contaminant and the corresponding reactions
-2nd step in Risk Assessment

Front 10

Threshold

Back 10

The level of exposure to a hazard up to which no response exists
Key Element in dose response relationship.

Front 11

Exposure Analysis

Back 11

Characterizes the sources of an environmental hazard, concentration levels at that point pathways, and any sensitivities
-3rd step in risk assessment

Front 12

Risk Characterization

Back 12

A description of risk based upon an assessment of a hazard and exposure to that hazard
Has 2 elements:Quantitative and Qualitative

Front 13

Quantitative component of Risk Characterization

Back 13

Quantitatively identifies the magnitude of the risk and a way to compare one risk to another
Can be measured using probabilities, some based on actuarial risks and some are inferred
Can be measured using a reference dose(RfD)

Front 14

Qualitative Component of Risk Characterization

Back 14

Qualitatively gives context to the numerical risk value
Comprises:
-Description of hazard
-Assessment of exposure and any susceptible groups
-Data used
-Scientific and statistical methods used
-Underlying assumptions
Also, identifies scientific uncertainties, data, gaps, measurement errors

Front 15

Reference Dose(RfD)

Back 15

Exposure to a hazard that can be tolerated over a lifetime without harm
-used to measure quantitative component of risk characterization
-measured by RfD=milligrams of a pollutant per body weight per day

Front 16

Integrated Risk Information System(IRIS)

Back 16

Made by EPA
-Repository of consensus views on health risks of environmental contaminants
-Available to general public
-Each summary includes:
Risk assessment table(quantitative measures)
-discussion of data used to form consensus
-reference listing of studies

Front 17

Risk Assessment Process(4 Steps)

Back 17

Preceeded by Scientific Research and Data Collection

-hazard Identification
-Dose response Analysis
-Exposure Analysis
-Risk Characterization

Followed by Risk Management

Front 18

Risk Management

Back 18

The decision-making process of evaluating and choosing from alternative responses to environmental risk
2 Major Tasks:
-Determining acceptable level of risk to society
-Selecting best policy to achieve that risk level

Front 19

"Acceptable Risk"

Back 19

Amount of risk determined to be tolerable for society
-Determining this is one task of risk management

Front 20

de minimis risk

Back 20

A negligible level of risk such that reducing it further would not justify the associated costs
-Concept sometimes used in risk management

Front 21

Comparative Risk Analysis

Back 21

An evaluation of relative risk

Ex) How risk of exposure to certain amount of radon compares to the risk of dying in car crash

Also known as risk-risk analysis when used to select from alternative policy instruments

Front 22

Selecting Policy Response
(part of Risk Management)

Back 22

-Evaluates alternative policies capable of achieving "acceptable" risk level
-Selects "best" option using risk management strategies

Front 23

Risk management Strategies

Back 23

Used to evaluate options in a systematic way
Key Considerations:
-The level of risk established
-Benefits to society from adopting the policy
-The associated costs of implementing the policy

Front 24

3 commonly used Risk Management Strategies

Back 24

-Comparative Risk analysis
-Risk-benefit analysis
-Benefit-cost analysis

Front 25

Risk-benefit analysis

Back 25

An assessment of risks of a hazard along with the benefits to society of not regulating that hazard

Front 26

Benefit-cost analysis

Back 26

A strategy that compares the MSB of a risk reduction policy to the associated MSC

Uses the economic criterion of allocative efficiency

Supported by presidential executive orders, starting with Pres. Reagan

Front 27

3 Scientific methods to identify health hazards(Hazard Identification)

Back 27

-Case Cluster
-Animal bioassay
-Epidemiology

Front 28

Case Cluster

Back 28

A study based on the observation of an abnormal pattern of health effects within some population group

Front 29

Animal Bioassay

Back 29

A study on the comparative results of laboratory experiments on living organisms both before and after exposure to a given hazard

Front 30

Epidemiology

Back 30

The study of the causes and distribution of disease in human populations based on characteristics such as age, gender, occupation, and economic status