ABSTRACT
The risk assessment process is intended to give the risk management team an effective tool for using scientific data to reach justifiable and defensible decisions on a wide range of issues. The concepts and techniques presented in this text should help managers of hazardous waste sites and/or facilities carry out hazardous waste management tasks effectively. The assessment of health and environmental risks play an important role in the RI/FS, the RAP development, and also the risk mitigation and risk management strategies in hazardous waste management. Indeed, the US EPA and several federal, state, and local agencies require some form of risk assessment in their risk management and risk prevention programs. Risk assessment seems to be gaining greater grounds in making public policy decisions in the control of risks associated with hazardous materials and installations. The development of a structured risk assessment framework will facilitate systematic decision making for the protection of public health and the environment from hazardous waste problems.
