scholarly journals Methods and tools for environmental technologies risk evaluation: the principal guidelines—a review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kowalska ◽  
A. Grobelak ◽  
M. Kacprzak ◽  
K.-A. Lyng
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Environmental Interactions ◽  
Human Health Impacts ◽  
Environmental Technologies ◽  
Analytical Tools ◽  
Electricity Transport

Abstract The commonly used and developing engineering environmental technologies do not remain neutral for an ecosystem. The deepening climate changes are generally considered as the effects of human activities. There is thus no doubt that any human interference in the environment should be comprehensively checked at the beginning for all its positive and negative aspects for the environment as well as society health. There are two different analytical tools useful in environmental management: life cycle assessment (LCA) and risk assessment (RA). The first follows the product from “from birth to the grave” summing the environmental impact at all stages of its “life” including such elements like producing, used electricity, transport and many others. LCA refers to quantification and classification of all effects at all life stages and provides direct and indirect possible environmental interactions. On the other hand, risk assessment focuses on linking stressors and its possibilities and severity. RA tools reveal environmental and human health impacts of strictly separated elements, providing insight as to which emission consists of an important threat. This paper is focused on summarizing two the most used methods and tools for supporting the decision making process in use of environmental engineering technologies. In this paper, the fundamental differences between LCA and RA and benefits from their use has been contained.

Liquidity Gap Report for Stress Testing Structural Liquidity Risk

GIS Business ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Eugenia Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Stress Testing ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Liquidity Risk ◽  
Methodological Basis ◽  
Qualitative Risk Assessment ◽  
The Future ◽  
Liquidity Gap

The need to focus on banks funding structure and stress testing in an explicit way arose as a consequence of the crisis of past decades. Liquidity risks usually occur as a consequence of other kinds of risks, hence analysing scenarios in a prospective manner is essential for the assessment if the bank can fulfill its obligations as they come due and if its funding costs are appropriate. The structural liquidity risk and the degree of the liquidity mismatch can be measured based on the liquidity gap analysis, where expected cash-in- and outflows, divided in different time-buckets are depicted. The liquidity gap report (LGR) shows if a liquidity shortcoming appears in the future and how high is the amount a bank would have to pay, if any hedging were not possible. This paper shows how to build a comprehensive LGR which is the base for both, liquidity and wealth risk evaluation. To improve the accuracy of the forecast, the counterbalancing capacity will be incorporated into the LGR. This tool is a methodological basis for quantitative and qualitative risk assessment and stress testing.

scholarly journals d4PDF: large-ensemble and high-resolution climate simulations for global warming risk assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayoshi Ishii ◽  
Nobuhito Mori
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Atmospheric Models ◽  
Large Ensemble ◽  
Past Climate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Climate Simulations

Abstract A large-ensemble climate simulation database, which is known as the database for policy decision-making for future climate changes (d4PDF), was designed for climate change risk assessments. Since the completion of the first set of climate simulations in 2015, the database has been growing continuously. It contains the results of ensemble simulations conducted over a total of thousands years respectively for past and future climates using high-resolution global (60 km horizontal mesh) and regional (20 km mesh) atmospheric models. Several sets of future climate simulations are available, in which global mean surface air temperatures are forced to be higher by 4 K, 2 K, and 1.5 K relative to preindustrial levels. Nonwarming past climate simulations are incorporated in d4PDF along with the past climate simulations. The total data volume is approximately 2 petabytes. The atmospheric models satisfactorily simulate the past climate in terms of climatology, natural variations, and extreme events such as heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones. In addition, data users can obtain statistically significant changes in mean states or weather and climate extremes of interest between the past and future climates via a simple arithmetic computation without any statistical assumptions. The database is helpful in understanding future changes in climate states and in attributing past climate events to global warming. Impact assessment studies for climate changes have concurrently been performed in various research areas such as natural hazard, hydrology, civil engineering, agriculture, health, and insurance. The database has now become essential for promoting climate and risk assessment studies and for devising climate adaptation policies. Moreover, it has helped in establishing an interdisciplinary research community on global warming across Japan.

In Vitro Toxicology Methods in Risk Assessment

1996 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-331
Author(s):  
Iain F. H. Purchase
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
In Vitro Test ◽  
In Vitro Methods ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Vitro Test

The title of this paper is challenging, because the question of how in vitro methods and results contribute to human health risk assessment is rarely considered. The process of risk assessment usually begins with hazard assessment, which provides a description of the inherent toxicological properties of the chemical. The next step is to assess the relevance of this to humans, i.e. the human hazard assessment. Finally, information on exposure is examined, and risk can then be assessed. In vitro methods have a limited, but important, role to play in risk assessment. The results can be used for classification and labelling; these are methods of controlling exposure, analogous to risk assessment, but without considering exposure. The Ames Salmonella test is the only in vitro method which is incorporated into regulations and used widely. Data from this test can, at best, lead to classification of a chemical with regard to genotoxicity, but cannot be used for classification and labelling on their own. Several in vitro test systems which assess the topical irritancy and corrosivity of chemicals have been reasonably well validated, and the results from these tests can be used for classification. The future development of in vitro methods is likely to be slow, as it depends on the development of new concepts and ideas. The in vivo methods which currently have reasonably developed in vitro alternatives will be the easiest to replace. The remaining in vivo methods, which provide toxicological information from repeated chronic dosing, with varied endpoints and by mechanisms which are not understood, will be more difficult to replace.

scholarly journals Quantitative Ship Collision Frequency Estimation Models: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 533
Author(s):  
Mirko Čorić ◽  
Sadko Mandžuka ◽  
Anita Gudelj ◽  
Zvonimir Lušić
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Collision Frequency ◽  
Frequency Estimation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Future Improvement ◽  
Ship Collision ◽  
Estimation Models

Ship collisions are one of the most common types of maritime accidents. Assessing the frequency and probability of ship collisions is of great importance as it provides a cost-effective and practical way to mitigate risk. In this paper, we present a review of quantitative ship collision frequency estimation models for waterway risk assessment, accompanied by a classification of the models and a description of their main modelling characteristics. Models addressing the macroscopic perspective in the estimation of ship collision frequency on waterways are reviewed in this paper with a total of 29 models. We extend the existing classification methodology and group the collected models accordingly. Special attention is given to the criteria used to detect potential ship collision candidates, as well as to causation probability and the correlation of models with real ship collision statistics. Limitations of the existing models and future improvement possibilities are discussed. The paper can be used as a guide to understanding current achievements in this field.

Relevance of Animal Studies in Regulatory Toxicology: Current Approaches and Future Opportunities

1996 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-178
Author(s):  
Johannes J.M. van de Sandt ◽  
Victor J. Feron
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Regulatory Toxicology ◽  
Animal Test ◽  
Toxicity Studies ◽  
Increasing Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Value

With rapidly increasing knowledge of toxicological processes, the scientific value and relevance of toxicity studies for risk assessment must be re-evaluated. In this paper, it is proposed that the rigid risk evaluation currently required should be replaced by a more flexible, case-by-case approach, in order to increase the relevance of each animal test conducted. The development of new types of toxicity studies and their application in risk evaluation are also described.

scholarly journals Semantic model for flood management

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 918-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julián Garrido ◽  
Ignacio Requena ◽  
Stefano Mambretti
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Semantic Model ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Qualified Personnel

Risk assessment involves the study of vulnerability and hazards. When focused on flood events, such an analysis should evidently include the theoretical and practical study of floods and their behavior. Nevertheless, risk assessment is not useful if the results are not subsequently used for more effective management and planning by local authorities and qualified personnel. The risk evaluation process is composed of a set of actions, each of which requires different inputs. In fact, the results of one action are used as the input for another. This paper describes a semantic model for the study and management of floods with a view to elaborating a conceptual framework and designing a knowledge base. The model is based on the environmental assessment ontology and demonstrates how a brief ontology can be generated.

The use of the risk assessment in the life cycle assessment framework

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Francesca Milazzo ◽  
Francesco Spina
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Biodiesel Production ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Transfer Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Health Impacts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to quantify the human health impacts of soy-biodiesel production with the aim to discuss about its environmental sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – The integrated use of two current approaches, risk assessment (RA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), has allowed improvement of the potentialities of both in obtaining a more complete analysis. The implementation of a life cycle indicator for the assessment of the impacts on the human health, integrating the features of both approaches, is the main focus of this paper. Findings – It has been found that, although the biodiesel is a green fuel, it has some criticalities in its life cycle, which cannot be disregarded. In fact, even if biodiesel is essentially a clean fuel there are some phases, prior to the industrial phase, that can cause negative effects on human health and ecosystems. Practical implications – Results suggest some measures which can be adopted to substantially reduce human health impacts. Further alternative could be analysed in future to gain more insight about the use of biodiesel fuels. Originality/value – The estimation of the impacts of a process producing biodiesel has been made by using a novel approach. The novelty is associated with the calculation of the impacts on human health by using the transfer factors applied in RA. The use of such factors, properly modified in order to estimate the impacts on a wider scale than a site-dimension, allows defining a holistic approach, as LCA and RA are used as complete units but at the same time can be related to each other.

scholarly journals Integrating public risk perception into formal natural hazard risk assessment

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Th. Plattner ◽  
T. Plapp ◽  
B. Hebel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Affecting Factors ◽  
Plausibility Check ◽  
Novel Approach

Abstract. An urgent need to take perception into account for risk assessment has been pointed out by relevant literature, its impact in terms of risk-related behaviour by individuals is obvious. This study represents an effort to overcome the broadly discussed question of whether risk perception is quantifiable or not by proposing a still simple but applicable methodology. A novel approach is elaborated to obtain a more accurate and comprehensive quantification of risk in comparison to present formal risk evaluation practice. A consideration of relevant factors enables a explicit quantification of individual risk perception and evaluation. The model approach integrates the effective individual risk reff and a weighted mean of relevant perception affecting factors PAF. The relevant PAF cover voluntariness of risk-taking, individual reducibility of risk, knowledge and experience, endangerment, subjective damage rating and subjective recurrence frequency perception. The approach assigns an individual weight to each PAF to represent its impact magnitude. The quantification of these weights is target-group-dependent (e.g. experts, laypersons) and may be effected by psychometric methods. The novel approach is subject to a plausibility check using data from an expert-workshop. A first model application is conducted by means of data of an empirical risk perception study in Western Germany to deduce PAF and weight quantification as well as to confirm and evaluate model applicbility and flexibility. Main fields of application will be a quantification of risk perception by individual persons in a formal and technical way e.g. for the purpose of risk communication issues in illustrating differing perspectives of experts and non-experts. For decision making processes this model will have to be applied with caution, since it is by definition not designed to quantify risk acceptance or risk evaluation. The approach may well explain how risk perception differs, but not why it differs. The formal model generates only "snap shots" and considers neither the socio-cultural nor the historical context of risk perception, since it is a highly individualistic and non-contextual approach.

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