Risk Management
Answer all Questions, show your calculations, type your answers. Submit your test as a hard copy, pdf or MSWord file.
- We frequently use the term “de minimis risk” as a guideline.
- Why is that considered an acceptable appropriate action level.
- What is the magnitude of this “de minimis” risk?
- List 3 examples of activities in everyday life that constitute de minimis risk and
also indicate why we utilize this strategy for risk assessment. (example: eating peanut butter)
- Estimate the risk‐based screening level (RBSL) of toluene (a noncarcinogen) in a drinking water well assuming the water from the well is used for ingestion only. The reference dose for toluene is 0.2 mg/kg day. Assume residential conditions, an acceptable hazard quotient (HQ) of 1, exposure duration of 20 years, and an exposure frequency of 365 days/year.
- Discuss the historical evolution of the risk assessment process in the Federal Government. Bs sure to include the significant events in the US-EPA and the role of the National Research Council. (This should take 1+ pages to accomplish)
- Discuss the three types of Risk. How do the each of these impact “Risk Perception” in the general population? Use an example of each type to illustrate risk perception and whether true risk is under or over perceived.
- Define and discuss the Hazard Identification (HI) process.
a. Be sure your answer differentiates between HI and Risk Assessment (RA). Use
the Delany Clause as an example of how HI and RA are different.
b. Create (and discuss) a scenario where some future toxin (environmentally
ubiquitous and potentially toxic at low levels) could create potential problems for
using HI, instead of RA to set policy. (PFOS might be a good example) This should take 1+ pages to accomplish.