Risk assessment I some concepts and principles

Consider the following situations and the questions that arise as a result. 

All of these questions are about risks to human health resulting from past, current, and (in the case of the food additive) future exposures to chemical substances. They seem to be highly important questions, and if we are ourselves members of one or more of the exposed populations, we would press scientists and physicians in our public health and regulatory institutions for answers to them. And, if those in authority in those institutions are doing their job, they have programs in place to provide the answers. 

The remaining sections of this chapter are concerned with the scientific difficulties encountered in the practice of risk assessment - in fact, it will be seen that there are critical aspects of the risk assessment process that cannot be adequately dealt with because of limitations in scientific understanding. Following this chapter is another on risk assessment, devoted to its practical applications, and then comes a third chapter providing examples of some new risk assessment challenges and approaches. After a final brief chapter on risk assessment in the courtroom, risk management returns in Chapter 11. 

The linkages between research, risk assessment, and risk management, and the scientific and policy features of each, were first systematically 

Data on levels of chemicals In the environment and on rates of human contact Ith and exposure to them 

---