Risk assessment: Consulting the experts

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Environ. Prof.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6826195

Winkler, R L ^[1]; Sarin, R K

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1. Indiana Univ., Bloomington

In this paper a step-by-step procedure for assessing health risks of environmental pollutants is described. The key feature of the approach is to solicit the health experts' opinions in making risk assessments. The approach relies on decomposing the problem so that each expert is dealing with a relatively simple situation. Alternatives for aggregating experts' judgments are discussed. Since the responses of the experts are in the form of probability distibutions, a scheme for handling uncertainty about probabilities is suggested. Two different pollutants may interact in their impact on human health. A model for studying the interaction effects of pollutants is discussed. Finally, we briefly discuss how risk assessment can be used in an evaluation model for selecting alternative air quality standards.

• OSTI ID: 6826195
• Journal Information: Environ. Prof.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Prof.; (United States) Vol. 3:3-4; ISSN EPROD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
AIR POLLUTION
AIR QUALITY
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OZONE
POLLUTION
PROBABILITY
RISK ASSESSMENT
STANDARDS
STATISTICAL MODELS