US
EPA
US
EPA
Ecological
Risk
Assessment
Ecological
Risk
Assessment
Guidelines
Guidelines
Steven
Bradbury
Steven
Bradbury
Office
of
Pesticide
Programs
Office
of
Pesticide
Programs
Ecological
Risk
Assessment
PROBLEM
FORMULATION
RISK
CHARACTERIZATION
ANALY
S
I
S
Planning
(
Risk
Assessor/

Risk
Manager
Dialogue)
Communicating
Results
to
the
Risk
Manager
Risk
Management
Characterization
of
Exposure
Characterization
of
Ecological
Effects
Planning
Planning
to
Problem
Formulation
Identify
Decision
Context
Develop
Objectives
Identify
Information
Needs
Planning
(
Risk
Assessor/

Risk
Manager
Dialogue)
PROBLEM
FORMULATION
Integrate
Available
Information
Source
and
Exposure
Characteristics
Ecosystem
Potentially
at
Risk
Ecological
Effects
Assessment
Endpoints
Conceptual
Model
Analysis
Plan
ANALYSIS
PROBLEM
FORMULATION
ANALYSIS
RISK
CHARACTERIZATION
Assessment
Endpoint
Assessment
Endpoint
An
explicit
expression
of
the
environmental
An
explicit
expression
of
the
environmental
value
to
be
protected
value
to
be
protected
Identifies:

Identifies:

Entity
Entity
Attribute
Attribute
Spatial
and
temporal
extent
Spatial
and
temporal
extent
Source
Stressor
Response/
Receptor
Change
in
Endpoint
Attribute
Conceptual
Model
Conceptual
Model
Exposure
Ecological
Response
Analysis
Analysis
Problem
Formulation
Risk
Characterization
Stressor­
Response
Profile
Exposure
Profile
Characterization
of
Exposure
Effects
Analysis
Measures
of
Exposure
Measures
of
Effects
Measures
of
Ecosystem
and
Receptor
Characteristics
As
Needed:
Get
Data,
Iterate,
Monitor
Analysis
Risk
Characterization
Risk
Estimation
Risk
Description
Communicate
Results
to
Risk
Manager
Risk
Management
and
Communicating
Results
to
Interested
Parties
As
Needed:
Get
Data,
Iterate,
Monitor
Reporting
Risks
Reporting
Risks

Clear
Clear

Transparent
Transparent

Reasonable
Reasonable

Consistent
Consistent
Risk
Estimation
Risk
Estimation

Compare
exposure
and
effects
data
Compare
exposure
and
effects
data

Field
surveys
Field
surveys

Process
models
Process
models
Risk
Description
Risk
Description

Adversity
Adversity
°
nature
and
intensity
of
effects
nature
and
intensity
of
effects
°
temporal
and
spatial
scale
temporal
and
spatial
scale
°
recovery
potential
recovery
potential
Risk
Description
Risk
Description

Lines
of
Evidence
Lines
of
Evidence
°
relevance
to
assessment
endpoints
relevance
to
assessment
endpoints
°
relevance
to
conceptual
model
relevance
to
conceptual
model
°
data
quality
and
sufficiency
data
quality
and
sufficiency
°
causality
causality
°
magnitude/
direction
of
uncertainty
magnitude/
direction
of
uncertainty
Risk
Characterization
Risk
Characterization

Uncertainty
Uncertainty
°
Knowable
Knowable

reducible
reducible

irreducible
irreducible
°
Unknowable
Unknowable

Affects
Affects
confidence
confidence
in
the
in
the
assessment
assessment
Risk
Management
Risk
Management

Relate
ecological
data
to
risk
Relate
ecological
data
to
risk­

management
decisions
management
decisions

Balance
objectives
and
means
Balance
objectives
and
means
Ecological
Risk
Assessment
PROBLEM
FORMULATION
RISK
CHARACTERIZATION
ANALY
S
I
S
Planning
(
Risk
Assessor/

Risk
Manager
Dialogue)
Communicating
Results
to
the
Risk
Manager
Risk
Management
Characterization
of
Exposure
Characterization
of
Ecological
Effects
