Environmental Health Risk Assessment
Based on information provided by the New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health, this environmental health risk assessment can help risk assessors/risk managers do the following: 1) Identify the adverse health effects that are likely to occur in humans from exposure to a chemical or other substance, 2) Describe the likelihood and severity of the adverse health effects in relation to the amount and type of exposure to the substance, 3) Estimate the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure to the chemical or other substance in the environment, 4) Discuss the size, nature, and types of human populations exposed to the substance, and 5) Include statements on the nature and presence or absence of risks, information about how risks were assessed, and where assumptions and uncertainties still exist.
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How to Use This Checklist
- Start with the issue identification stage. Define the concerns that the risk assessment needs to address before you begin assessing any substance.
- Work through hazard identification. Establish what adverse effects are likely to occur from exposure to a chemical or other substance and whether adverse health effects are likely to occur in humans.
- Complete the dose-response assessment. Characterize the link between the negative effects and the chemical or other agent, describe how the likelihood and severity of the responses relate to the amount and type of exposure, and consider what type of health problems may be caused, the chance of people experiencing those problems at different levels of exposure, and whether there are any exposure levels that do not pose a health risk.
- Carry out the exposure assessment. Estimate the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure to the substance in the environment, and if the chemical has not yet been released, estimate future exposures. Identify whether some people are more likely to be exposed due to the nature of their work, the food they consume, or other reasons.
- Finish with risk characterization. Discuss the size, nature, and types of human populations exposed to the substance and the uncertainties and unknowns, and record statements on the nature and presence or absence of risks, information about how the risks were assessed, where assumptions and uncertainties still exist, and where policy choices will need to be made.
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What this environmental health risk assessment covers
Environmental health risk assessment is the process of working out whether exposure to a chemical or other substance is likely to harm human health, and how significant that harm could be. It brings together what is known about a substance, how people come into contact with it, and what that contact means for the health of the populations involved. This assessment follows five stages, each of which builds on the one before it: 1. Issue identification 2. Hazard identification 3. Dose-response assessment 4. Exposure assessment 5. Risk characterization The checklist is built around these stages, with prompts that direct you to the questions each stage needs to answer and to the statements risk characterization must set out.
Issue identification
The first step is to be clear about what the assessment is for. You identify the concerns that the risk assessment needs to address, so that the work that follows stays focused on the questions that actually matter for the decision at hand.
Hazard identification
Hazard identification establishes what harm a substance could cause. You ask what adverse effects are likely to occur from exposure to the chemical or other substance, and whether adverse health effects are likely to occur in humans. The aim is to characterize the link between the negative effects and the chemical or other agent and to be explicit about what type of health problems the exposure may cause.
Dose-response assessment
Dose-response assessment describes how the likelihood and severity of adverse health effects (the responses) relate to the amount and type of exposure to the substance. It asks what the chance is of people experiencing health problems when exposed to different levels, and whether there are any exposure levels that do not pose a health risk. Where a chemical has not yet been released into the environment, you estimate future exposures rather than measuring existing ones.
Exposure assessment
Exposure assessment estimates the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure to the chemical or other substance in the environment. It also examines who is exposed. You discuss the size, nature, and types of human populations exposed to the substance and consider whether some people are more likely to be exposed to certain chemicals or substances because of the nature of their work, the food they consume, or other reasons.
Risk characterization
Risk characterization draws the earlier stages together into statements that decision-makers can use. The assessment records: - the nature and presence or absence of risks; - information about how the risks were assessed; - where assumptions and uncertainties still exist; and - where policy choices will need to be made. Uncertainties and unknowns are discussed openly at this stage, so that the limits of what the assessment can conclude are visible alongside its findings.
Why it matters
A structured risk assessment gives risk assessors and risk managers a defensible basis for action. By separating hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization, it shows what is known, how that knowledge relates to the exposures people actually face, and where judgement and policy decisions have to take over.
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