Risk Assessment

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-024356",
  "term": "Risk Assessment",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. A process to determine the increased risk from exposure to environmental pollutants together with an estimate of the severity of impact. Risk assessments use specific chemical information plus risk factors.\n\n2. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential presence and/or use of specific pollutants.\n\n3. Qualitative or quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential presence or release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.\n\n4. A methodology used to examine all possible risks involved with a particular product or organism. Risk assessment can be divided into four parts: identification of hazards, dose response (how much exposure causes particular problems (i.e., cancer, convulsions, death), exposure assessment (determining how much exposure will be received by people during particular activities), and risk characterization (determining a probability that a risk will occur).\n\n5. A qualitative or quantitative evaluation of the environmental and/or health risk resulting from exposure to a chemical or physical agent (pollutant); combines exposure assessment results with toxicity assessment results to estimate risk.\n\n6. The objective scientific assessment of the expected adverse effects of environmental stressors. The process includes hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Adapted from: Thompson, Anthony J., \"Federal Risk Management Policy: Where are the problems?\" In the proceedings: Risk Based Decision Making in Water Resources VI, ASCE, 1993. P.1. Risk assessment itself does not generate a decision. It only provides an unbiased evaluation of the effects. The risk assessment often includes uncertainty analysis to clarify the nature of the science. One National Risk Management Research Laboratory's (NRMRL) research focus areas is \"characterizing pollutant sources that require management.\" US EPA, 1997 Update to ORD's Strategic Plan, EPA/600/R-97/015, April 1997.\n\n7. Risk assessment is the process of gathering data and making assumptions to estimate short- and long-term harmful effects on human health or the environment from exposure to hazards associated with the use of a particular product or technology.\n\n8. A study conducted as part of the Remedial Investigation to determine the threats posed to human health and the environment if the site's contamination is left unaddressed. The study takes into account such factors as the contaminant's toxicity and the paths and likelihoods of exposure.\n\n9. In the context of human health, the determination of potential adverse health effects from exposure to chemicals, including both quantitative and qualitative expressions of risk. The process of risk assessment involves four major steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization.\n\n10. A process intended to calculate or estimate the risk to a given target organism, system, or population, including the identification of attendant uncertainties, following exposure to a particular agent, taking into account the inherent characteristics of the agent of concern as well as the characteristics of the specific target system. The risk assessment process includes four steps: hazard identification, hazard characterization (related term: Dose-response assessment), exposure assessment, and risk characterization. It is the first component in a risk analysis process.\n\n11. An evaluation of the risk to human health or the environment from a hazard. Risk assessments may look at either existing hazards or potential hazards.\n\n12. \"Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential presence and/or use of specific pollutants\" (EPA 1992, 25).\n\n13. The use of factual information to define the nature and impact of an adverse effect on individuals or populations who have been exposed to hazardous materials and situations.\n\n14. A quantitative or qualitative evaluation to determine the probability of an adverse effect to human health or the environment by exposure to specific pollutants.\n\n15. The scientific activity of evaluating the toxic properties of a chemical and the conditions of human exposure to it both to ascertain the likelihood that exposed humans will be adversely affected and to characterize the nature of the effects they may experience. The assessment may involve the following four steps: 1) Hazard Identification: The determination of whether a particular chemical is or is not causally linked to particular health effect(s); 2) Dose-Response Assessment: The determination of the relation between the magnitude of exposure and the probability of occurrence of the health effects in question; 3) Exposure Assessment: The determination of the extent of human exposure; and 4) Risk Characterization: The description of the nature and often the magnitude of human risk, including attendant uncertainty.\n\n16. In the context of human health, the evaluation of scientific information on the hazardous properties of environmental agents (hazard characterization), the dose-response relationship (dose-response assessment), and the extent of human exposure to those agents (exposure assessment). The product of the risk assessment is a statement regarding the probability that populations or individuals so exposed will be harmed and to what degree (risk characterization).\n\n17. For air toxics, the scientific activity of evaluating the toxic properties of a chemical and the conditions of human or ecological exposure to it in order both to ascertain the likelihood that exposed humans or ecological receptors will be adversely affected, and to characterize the nature of the effects they may experience.\n\n18. The scientific evaluation of known or potential adverse health effects resulting from human exposure to hazards. The process consists of the following steps: hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization (dose-response), and risk characterization.\n\n19. Process of evaluating the risk(s) arising from a hazard(s), taking into account the adequacy of any existing controls, and deciding whether or not the risk(s) is acceptable.\n\n20. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential presence and/or use of specific pollutants. [Terms of the Environment][EPA 2005b]\n\n21. Evaluation of the risk to human health or the environment from a hazard. Risk assessments may look at either existing hazards or potential hazards.\n\n22. In the context of human health, the evaluation of scientific information on the hazardous properties of environmental agents (hazard characterization), the dose-response relationship (dose-response assessment), and the extent of human exposure to those agents (exposure assessment). The product of the risk assessment is a statement regarding the probability that populations or individuals so exposed will be harmed and to what degree (risk characterization). [EPA 2003]\n\n23. For air toxics, the scientific activity of evaluating the toxic properties of a chemical and the conditions of human or ecological exposure to it in order both to ascertain the likelihood that exposed humans or ecological receptors will be adversely affected, and to characterize the nature of the effects they may experience. [EPA 2004]",
  "abbreviation": "RA",
  "subject": "Health and safety",
  "references": [
    "Environmental Issues Terms & Acronyms",
    "Terms of Env; RCRA Glossary of Terms; Superfund Reforms Glossary; Terms of Environment; EPA 2005b",
    "Waste and Cleanup Risk Assessment Glossary",
    "Pesticides Glossary; EPA 2005e",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Urban Watershed Management Research Terminology",
    "Environmental Management System Glossary",
    "Region 5 Cleanup Sites Glossary",
    "Community-Based Air Pollution Projects Glossary",
    "Exposure Factors Handbook: Glossary",
    "Radiation Protection Radiation Glossary",
    "Environmental Modeling and Assessment Program (EMAP) Master Glossary",
    "I-BEAM Glossary of Terms",
    "Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) Glossary of Terms",
    "EPA 2003",
    "EPA 2004",
    "FDA 2002",
    "Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions",
    "Thesaurus of Terms Used in Microbial Risk Assessment"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/risk-assessment/"
}