A 20-Year Perspective on the Development of Non-Cancer Risk Assessment Methods

Abstract

The National Research Council's report Risk Assessment in the Federal Government: Managing the Process, known as the “Red Book,” contained a number of key thoughts and recommendations that have helped develop and refine the ways risk assessment and its management are conducted. Separation of the science of risk assessment from the policy of risk management is one of the most oft-cited recommendations. Key also was the push for development of “inference guidelines” for Federal agency risk assessment activities. These guidelines would aid in interpretation of scientific and technical data and structure the data for better presentation and communication. The Red Book noted that these guidelines were most needed for the developing field of cancer risk assessment to utilize the developing base of scientific knowledge and address the growing public concern regarding cancer and environmental exposures.This essay will review some of the progress in the area of estimating safe doses for environmental exposures for non-cancer effects. Not having been part of the NRC 1983 process, we will not attempt to shed light on what the committee meant, rather what has happened for the field of non-cancer risk assessment since.