White House Paper Explores the Risk in Making Risk Assessments

Regular visitors to this blog realize the importance of using good science and sound methodologies in determining risk assessments. The temptation to manipulate statistical or scientific uncertainty for political purposes has been addressed numerous times in various media.

However, the casual reader may not be aware of a substantial White House (OMB) paper issued on the subject of risk assessment: "Examples of Risk Assessments that Grossly Overstate Risk." This 73 page Appendix to a larger document can be viewed at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/2003report/appendix5.pdf

The report develops numerous examples where the probability of risk appears to be distorted by a variety of abuses, including the selective use (or exclusion) of data, inappropriate association of animal and human test data, and the disregard of peer review panel input.

Various chemical families are represented, as well as issues relating to high-profile remediation and Superfund sites. Both ecological and environmental implications are addressed, along with commercial industry practices.

Organic materials under scrutiny include Dioxin, Trichloroethylene, PCBs, Naphthalene and Acetone; the most prominent of noted inorganic materials is Perchlorate, accompanied by an extensive treatment of thyroid physiology in human and rat test subjects.

In addition, complicated issues such as the assignment of the "carcinogenic" label and the application of uncertainty factors to Reference Dose (RfD) determinations are given significant attention. Over 100 references are available for further exploration of the subject.