A paradigm for ecological risk assessment |
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Authors: | Joshua Lipton Hector Galbraith Joanna Burger Daniel Wartenberg |
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Institution: | (1) RCG/Hagler, Bailly, Inc., P.O. Drawer O, 80306 Boulder, Colorado, USA;(2) Graduate Program in Ecology Biological Sciences, Rutgers, the State University, 08855 Piscataway, New Jersey, USA;(3) Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, 681 Frelinghuysen Road, 08855 Piscataway, New Jersey, USA;(4) Department of Environmental and Community Medicine Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 675 Hoes Lane, 08854 Piscataway, New Jersey, USA |
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Abstract: | The 1983 National Academy of Sciences paradigm for conducting human health risk assessment is considered with respect to ecological
risk assessment. This four-step paradigm fails to capture key intrinsic differences between the two types of analysis, specifically:
identity of risk targets and receptors; identity of the appropriate level of ecological organization at which the risk is
expressed; variability of endpoint with respect to risk receptor; and the existence ofrisk cascades through ecological feedback loops. We propose an alternative paradigm that includes a preliminary step,receptor identification, in which chemical partitioning is combined with a conceptual model of the ecosystem to identify appropriate risk targets.
In addition, we propose formal inclusion ofendpoint identification and explicit consideration of risk cascades in arelationship assessment in which interactive feedback loops are considered in an iterative process. The proposed paradigm preserves the steps of
hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response assessment (renamedresponse assessment) and risk characterization, although specific modifications are recommended. |
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Keywords: | Ecological risk assessment Risk |
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