Whither Risk Assessment: New Challenges and Opportunities a Third of a Century After the Red Book

Risk Anal. 2015 Nov;35(11):1959-68. doi: 10.1111/risa.12535. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

Abstract

Six multi-decade-long members of SRA reflect on the 1983 Red Book in order to examine the evolving relationship between risk assessment and risk management; the diffusion of risk assessment practice to risk areas such as homeland security and transportation; the quality of chemical risk databases; challenges from other groups to elements at the core of risk assessment practice; and our collective efforts to communicate risk assessment to a diverse set of critical groups that do not understand risk, risk assessment, or many other risk-related issues. The authors reflect on the 10 recommendations in the Red Book and present several pressing challenges for risk assessment practitioners.

Keywords: Challenges; Red Book; risk assessment; risk management.

MeSH terms

  • Conservation of Natural Resources*
  • Risk Assessment*
  • United States
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency