1 M5: Overview of Urban Water Risk Assessment Shirley Clark Penn State - Harrisburg Risk Assessment Introduction • Environmental regulations and the resultant activities are designed to address environmental threats to human (public) and ecological health. • Question: – How did we decide that particular activities and/or pollutant loads cause an environmental health problem that requires addressing? • Much of this discussion is based on the following sources: – Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment (Published on May 14, 1998, Federal Register 63(93):26846-26924) – Introduction to Chemical Exposure and Risk Assessment Risk Assessment Overview • Based on two elements: characterization of effects and characterization of exposure. • These focus the three phases of risk assessment: – problem formulation, – analysis, and – risk characterization. Risk Assessment Flow Charts