An Overview of Cancer Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is broadly used as a regulatory tool by a number of federal and state agencies. There has, however, been some controversy surrounding the broad application of the methodology to the protection of human health and the environment. Some of this controversy results from the uncertainties in the process, whereas other issues deal with the overall relevance of the tool. As new environmental legislation comes before congress, and existing laws come up for reauthorization, the use of risk assessment sometimes becomes an element of public debate in an arena where the methodology is not well understood. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to present an overview of the technical aspects of the process.