Risk assessment (RA) is really a big hit right now, what on earth is the risk assessment? In addition to the “four-step method”, what else do we need to know? Let’s briefly talk about it.
Firstly, what is the risk assessment? Why are we paying growing attention to it?
As is well-known, risk assessment is the bond between scientific research and policy management. The assessment results could lay a scientific foundation for risk management and the enactment of related regulations and policies. But its significance is far more than that. Taking the United States as an example, with the development of the practice of the risk assessment by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the way of thinking of the evolution of risk assessment and management is also actively promoted. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued the "Red Book" in 1983 to propose the risk assessment principle, and updated it in 2009 to the "Silver Book", pointing out that risk assessment being a relatively optimized method for evaluating various risk management programs, instead of emphasizing as the purpose itself. This means that risk managers, risk assessment implementers and other interested parties are supposed to be involved to identify the risk management issues that need to be addressed. EPA has adopted various of recommendations and is striving to incorporate them into risk assessment policies and practices. It’s easy to see that risk assessment is giving more guidance to risk management as its practice evolves.
How is the development of risk assessment technology right now?
In the past few decades, the development of toxicological testing methods, including in vitro alternative tests, high-throughput screening technique, stem cells, omics, computational systems biology, biomarkers, molecular and genetic epidemiology, etc. are playing an increasingly important role in risk assessment. At the same time, more and more extensive use of mathematical models, for example, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model used for preliminary judgment of the structure and toxicity of chemical substances provides preliminary screening analysis for priority determination; benchmark dose (BMD) method is used to extend the applicable scope of dose-response data obtained from animal experiments or observation epidemiological studies, so as to better characterize and quantify the characteristics of potential risks; exposure models used in different conditions, such as source emission assessment models, environmental fate models, etc., makes the calculation of exposure assessment faster and more intuitive. In terms of toxicological evaluation, currently there are three international toxicological data evaluation systems: Klimisch rating system, US EPA information screening system and toxicological data reliability evaluation tools. These systems are used to evaluate the reliability, relevance and adequacy of data quality to ensure the effectiveness of hazard assessments. Regarding to the uncertainty analysis in risk assessment, the numerical analysis method-Monte Carlo simulation method, which is one of common methods for predicting and estimating the implementation probability, can be used to describe the uncertainty and is widely used to calculate risks in various fields.
How is it implemented globally?
Since the late 1980s, the US EPA has issued a series of risk assessment supporting technical documents such as Exposure Parameter Manual and Benchmark Dose Technical Guide, and mapped out specific risk management guidelines according to the needs of various management offices, such as the National Environmental Air Quality Standards Review Procedures, Guidelines for Human Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Waste Incineration Facilities etc.. EU has also systematically established a complete technical specification system for chemical safety management, the launching out of some standing researches on chemical risk assessment and exposure assessment is also followed by the development of a series of models and tools for evaluation, such as the exposure parameter kit, risk assessment technical guide (TGD), etc. At present, developed countries such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Canada have implemented chemical safety supervision based on risk assessment. Chemical substance risk assessment in China lags behind developed countries for decades. Instead of applying a complete chemical assessment system, only some national recommended standards, technical documents and environmental protection standards have been issued. Therefore, although China has put forward the requirements for risk assessment, the actual supervision is more biased towards hazard-based assessment. In 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Ecological Environment Protection and Resolutely Fighting Pollution Prevention and Control, clearly demanding "assessing the risk status of toxic and hazardous chemicals in the ecological environment". National Environmental Protection Standards 13th Five-Year Development plan outlines the specifications related to risk assessment. It is believed that with the release of relevant norms and guidelines, we can gradually keep pace with the international community.
If you have any questions about the risk assessment, please contact us freely and we will keep you updated occasionally with more information.
