Alternative Ecological Risk Assessment

In Alternative Ecological Risk Assessment theauthor, Lawrence V. Tannenbaum, provides a critical review ofcurrent practices in the ecological risk assessment field andproposes alternatives that are supported by established science andkeen observation. It is hoped that this approach will pave the wayto a greater understanding of what appropriate and usefulecological assessment for contaminated sites should entail. Hedemonstrates that in most cases current practices do not providefor an assessment of ecological risk, and moreover, thatendeavoring to assess ecological risk is actually an unnecessaryundertaking at conventional hazardous waste sites. (Hestates, for example, that the concept of scale is often ignored bypractitioners, questions why animals like deer are routinelyassessed at 5-acre sites, and challenges the ecotoxicology datacurrently used.) The book is aimed at students and professionals in the fields ofenvironmental science, ecology, ecotoxicology, and health riskassessment.

This work recommends a simple yet profound shift to another decision-making technique: alternatives assessment. Instead of asking how much of a hazardous activity is safe, alternatives assessment asks how we can avoid or minimize damage.

The definitive reference in its field, Ecological Risk Assessment, Second Edition details the latest advances in science and practice. In the fourteen years since the publication of the best-selling first edition, ecological risk assessment (ERA) has moved from the margins into the spotlight. It is now commonly applied to the regulation of chemicals, the remediation of contaminated sites, the monitoring of importation of exotic organisms, the management of watersheds, and other environmental management issues. Delineating the processes for performing an ERA, the book begins by defining the field, then goes on to describe its relationship to other environmental assessment practices and its organizational framework. The book also includes a chapter on ecological epidemiology, which has previously been treated as a type of ERA, but is now recognized as a distinct practice in itself. It explores important concepts in the ERA process including probability, uncertainty, scale, mode of action and multiple causes. Reflecting changes in the field, the book’s scope has been broadened to include discussions of the application of ERA to agents other than chemical contaminants. The multitude of illustrative figures provides a flavor for the diverse practice of ERA. The author has re-organized the material, presenting a unitary process of ERA that is applicable to various problems, scales, and mandates. He keeps the emphasis squarely on providing clear, scientifically sound, and unbiased technical advice on the risks from chemicals and chemical mixtures.

Love Canal. Exxon Valdez. Times Beach. Sacramento River Spill. Amoco Cadiz. Seveso. Every area of the world has been affected by improper waste disposal and chemical spills. Common hazardous waste sites include abandoned warehouses, manufacturing facilities, processing plants, and landfills. These sites poison the land and contaminate groundwater and drinking water. A sequel to the bestselling Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecological Risk Assessment for Contaminated Sites focuses on how to perform ecological risk assessments for Superfund sites and locations contaminated by improper disposal of wastes, or chemical spills. It integrates the authors' extensive experience in assessing ecological risks at U.S. government sites with techniques and examples from assessments performed by others. Conducting an ecological risk assessment on a contaminated site provides the information needed to make decisions concerning site remediation. The first rule of good risk assessment is "don't do anything stupid". With the practical preparation you get from Ecological Risk Assessment for Contaminated Sites you won't.

This book is a compendium of highly purposeful studies all waiting to be conducted. It explains how avoiding common study design flaws, opportunities are created to observe that true risk assessment questions may not exist, that chemically exposed receptors are probably unharmed, and that ecological risk assessment might not be needed at all.

With contributions from a wide array of economists, ecologists, and government agency professionals, Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment: Applications to Watershed Management provides a multidisciplinary approach to environmental decision-making at a watershed level. It introduces the fields of ecological risk assessment (ERA) and economic ana

This book will present a detailed analysis of how some current ecological risk assessment (ERA) studies fall short of their intended mark. It will discuss the limitations of these studies and explain how sometimes their premises are fundamentally flawed, thus producing data that is not particularly useful. The analysis will explain that learning from past mistakes coupled with a willingness to experiment outside of the conventional studies, can lead to numerous new and useful studies that can make for significant gains in ERA. The new studies presented in the book will be strategically grouped, facilitating readers locating those that relate to their individual areas of expertise.