Download Free Chemical Risk Assessment Selected Federal Agencies Procedures Assumptions And Policies Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Chemical Risk Assessment Selected Federal Agencies Procedures Assumptions And Policies and write the review.

As used in public health and environmental regulation, risk assessment is the systematic, scientific description of potential adverse effects of exposures to hazardous substances or situations. It is a complex but valuable set of tools for federal regulatory agencies, helping them to identify issues of potential concern, select regulatory options, and estimate the range of a forthcoming regulations benefits. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used risk assessment information in a 1998 final rule to conclude that disinfection byproducts (e.g., chloroform) in drinking water could cause as many as 9,300 bladder cancer cases a year, and that a 24-percent reduction in those byproducts could result in monetized health benefits of about $4 billion. However, risk assessments are also sometimes controversial, as evidenced by the fact that the disinfection byproduct rule was successfully challenged in court over whether the agency used the best scientific evidence available in support of certain assumptions. 2 Given the significant yet controversial nature of risk assessments, it is important that policymakers understand how risk assessments are conducted, the extent to which risk estimates produced by different agencies and programs are comparable, and the reasons for differences in agencies risk assessment approaches and results.
The regulation of potentially hazardous substances has become a controversial issue. This volume evaluates past efforts to develop and use risk assessment guidelines, reviews the experience of regulatory agencies with different administrative arrangements for risk assessment, and evaluates various proposals to modify procedures. The book's conclusions and recommendations can be applied across the entire field of environmental health.
Risk assessment has become a dominant public policy tool for making choices, based on limited resources, to protect public health and the environment. It has been instrumental to the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal agencies in evaluating public health concerns, informing regulatory and technological decisions, prioritizing research needs and funding, and in developing approaches for cost-benefit analysis. However, risk assessment is at a crossroads. Despite advances in the field, risk assessment faces a number of significant challenges including lengthy delays in making complex decisions; lack of data leading to significant uncertainty in risk assessments; and many chemicals in the marketplace that have not been evaluated and emerging agents requiring assessment. Science and Decisions makes practical scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges. This book is a complement to the widely used 1983 National Academies book, Risk Assessment in the Federal Government (also known as the Red Book). The earlier book established a framework for the concepts and conduct of risk assessment that has been adopted by numerous expert committees, regulatory agencies, and public health institutions. The new book embeds these concepts within a broader framework for risk-based decision-making. Together, these are essential references for those working in the regulatory and public health fields.
GAO-01-810 Chemical Risk Assessment: Selected Federal Agencies' Procedures, Assumptions, and Policies
The public depends on competent risk assessment from the federal government and the scientific community to grapple with the threat of pollution. When risk reports turn out to be overblownâ€"or when risks are overlookedâ€"public skepticism abounds. This comprehensive and readable book explores how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can improve its risk assessment practices, with a focus on implementation of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. With a wealth of detailed information, pertinent examples, and revealing analysis, the volume explores the "default option" and other basic concepts. It offers two views of EPA operations: The first examines how EPA currently assesses exposure to hazardous air pollutants, evaluates the toxicity of a substance, and characterizes the risk to the public. The second, more holistic, view explores how EPA can improve in several critical areas of risk assessment by focusing on cross-cutting themes and incorporating more scientific judgment. This comprehensive volume will be important to the EPA and other agencies, risk managers, environmental advocates, scientists, faculty, students, and concerned individuals.