Abstract
Emerging environmental threats such as novel chemical compounds, biological agents, and nanomaterials present serious challenges to traditional models of risk analysis and regulatory risk management processes. Even a massive expansion of risk and life-cycle assessment research efforts is unlikely to keep pace with rapid technological change resulting in new and modified materials with changing properties. Therefore, it is essential to have a framework for interpreting available information in the context of high uncertainty and a strategy for prioritizing research efforts to reduce those uncertainties that are most critical. We discuss how integrating the three analytic approaches of risk assessment, life-cycle assessment, and multicriteria decision analysis into a framework permits understanding uncertainty and prioritizes needs for scientific research. Our approach is illustrated with two separate cases: nanomaterials and contaminated sediment remediation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 5068-5074 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Environmental Science and Technology |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 15 2011 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry