The Suitability And Applicability Of Risk Assessment Methods For Environmental Applications Of Biotechnology

Biotechnology Risk Assessment: Issues and Methods for Environmental Introductions tackles the environmental concerns associated with utilizing contemporary biotechnology. The title also examines the methods of implementing biotechnology while also minimizing the risks. The text first covers the suitability and applicability of risk assessment methods for environmental applications of biotechnology, and then proceeds to tackling the methods for evaluation of microorganism properties. Next, the selection deals with human exposure to viruses and genetically altered bacteria. The text also tackles the effects of bioengineered organisms on the ecosystem, along with the assessment of the transport and fate of bioengineered microorganisms in the environment. The seventh chapter discusses the analysis of the function and structure of ecosystem, while the eighth chapter details the controlled testing and monitoring methods for microorganisms. The book will be of great use to biotechnologists, microbiologists, ecologists, epidemiologists, and virologists.

The purpose of this book is to investigate the suitability and applicability of available methods for analyzing the human and ecological risks involved in the release of genetically-modified microorganisms. Main topics include: - risk analysis and assessment; approach to safety assurance; - inventory of available scientific risk assessment methods for biotechnology; - identification of methodology gaps and research needs in biology, ecology or other disciplines; - development of a general framework to guide future biotechnology risk assessment efforts; - international regulatory activities.

The purpose of this book is to investigate the suitability and applicability of available methods for analyzing the human and ecological risks involved in the release of genetically-modified microorganisms. Main topics include: - risk analysis and assessment; approach to safety assurance; - inventory of available scientific risk assessment methods for biotechnology; - identification of methodology gaps and research needs in biology, ecology or other disciplines; - development of a general framework to guide future biotechnology risk assessment efforts; - international regulatory activities.

Recently, environmental scientists have been required to perform a new type of assessment-ecological risk assessment. This is the first book that explains how to perform ecological risk assessments and gives assessors access to the full range of useful data, models, and conceptual approaches they need to perform an accurate assessment. It explains how ecological risk assessment relates to more familiar types of assessments. It also shows how to organize and conduct an ecological risk assessment, including defining the source, selecting endpoints, describing the relevant features of the receiving environment, estimating exposure, estimating effects, characterizing the risks, and interacting with the risk manager. Specific technical topics include finding and selecting toxicity data; statistical and mathematical models of effects on organisms, populations, and ecosystems; estimation of chemical fate parameters; modeling of chemical transport and fate; estimation of chemical uptake by organisms; and estimation, propagation, and presentation of uncertainty. Ecological Risk Assessment also covers conventional risk assessments, risk assessments for existing contamination, large scale problems, exotic organisms, and risk assessments based on environmental monitoring. Environmental assessors at regulatory agencies, consulting firms, industry, and government labs need this book for its approaches and methods for ecological risk assessment. Professors in ecology and other environmental sciences will find the book's practical preparation useful for classroom instruction. Environmental toxicologists and chemists will appreciate the discussion of the utility for risk assessment of particular toxicity tests and chemical determinations.