Conducting Environmental Risk Assessment Risk assessment refers to the technical, scientific assessment of the nature and magnitude of risk and uses a factual base to define the health effects of exposure of individuals or populations to hazardous contaminants and situations. It uses tools of science, statistics and modelling to analyze risk-related information. Generally, risk is defined as the probability of an adverse event due to disturbances in the environment. All ecological and human health endpoints, including both cancer and non-cancer, must be assessed. The quality of the assessment is governed to a large degree by the quality of the supporting toxicological and exposure information and the expertise of the professionals who conduct the assessment.
Uncertainty is inherent in the process.
Risk assessment is only one of a number of assessment tools that can be applied to a problem. It may be the most appropriate tool in some instances, but may not be the method of choice in others. To this end, the plant audit is a key step to ensuring compliance with all federal, provincial and municipal regulations. Pollutech has completed a large number of plant audits for small and medium-sized industries throughout Southwestern Ontario. Field testing and laboratory analyses are then undertaken to confirm findings, where necessary.