Environmental Risk Assessment

The purpose of risk assessment is to support science-based decisions about how to solve complex societal problems. Indeed, the problems humankind faces in the 21st century have many social, political, and technical complexities. Environmental risk assessment in particular is of increasing importance as health and safety regulations grow and become more complicated.

Environmental Risk Assessment: A Toxicological Approach, 2nd Edition looks at various factors relating to exposure and toxicity, human health, and risk. In addition to the original chapters being updated and expanded upon, four new chapters discuss current software and platforms that have recently been developed and provide examples of risk characterizations and scenarios.

• Introduces the science of risk assessment?past, present, and future








• Provides environmental sampling data for conducting practice risk assessments








• Considers how bias and conflict of interest affect science-based decisions in the 21st century








• Includes fully worked examples, case studies, discussion questions, and suggestions for additional reading








• Discusses new software and computational platforms that have developed since the first edition

Aimed at the next generation of risk assessors and students who need to know more about developing, conducting, and interpreting risk assessments, the book delivers a comprehensive view of the field, complete with sufficient background to enable readers to probe for themselves the science underlying the key issues in environmental risk.

**Description**
This second edition is a rather concise 500-page description of environmental
risk assessment written from a toxicological perspective. Useful new features
include sections devoted to software and platforms as well as actual examples.


**Purpose**
The book aims to provide a reference to enable those interested in risk
assessment to gain confidence regarding their knowledge of the subject.

**Audience**
The audience for this book and its electronic enhancements includes both human
and wildlife risk assessors, risk communicators, and a broader range of public
health decision makers.

**Features**
The book chapters include introduction to risk assessment; perception, planning,
and scoping; risk analyst's toolbox; exposure assessment; hazard
characterization and dose response assessment; risk characterization; ecologic
risk assessment(s); bias, conflict of interest, ignorance, and uncertainty; and
emerging risks and final thoughts.

**Assessment**
Bridging the modern range of risk assessment guides and tutorials, this second
edition begins in the old days with the "Red Book," advances through Silver
and, most importantly, provides us with what the author describes as a
"comprehensive review of the field" for the next generation of risk assessors.
In the book's foreword, Dr. Richard A. Becker describes author Ted Simon's risk
communication and assessment skills in this edition as "stellar" in terms of
its explanations and illustrations. I concur.

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Weighted Numerical Score: 97 - 5 Stars!

-- John T. Pierce, MBBS(MD) PhD(Navy Environmental Health Center)