Введение в оценку экологических рисков

TOMSK POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I.A. Matveenko, N.A. Osipova 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGICAL  
RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
 
Recommended for publishing as a study guide  
by the Editorial Board of Tomsk Polytechnic University 
 
 
3d edition 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tomsk Polytechnic University Publishing House  
2015 

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение высшего образования 
«НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЙ  
ТОМСКИЙ ПОЛИТЕХНИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ» 

 
 
 
 
 
 
И.А. Матвеенко, Н.А. Осипова 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ВВЕДЕНИЕ В ОЦЕНКУ  
ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ РИСКОВ 
 
 
Рекомендовано в качестве учебно-методического пособия  
Редакционно-издательским советом 
Томского политехнического университета 
 
 
3-е издание 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Издательство 
Томского политехнического университета 
2015 

УДК 504.064(075.8) 
ББК  20.18я73 
М74 
 
Матвеенко И.А. 
М74  
Введение в оценку экологических рисков: учебно-методическое 
пособие / И.А. Матвеенко, Н.А. Осипова ; Томский политехнический 
университет. – 3-е изд. – Томск: Изд-во Томского политехнического 
университета, 2015. – 108 с. 
 
Учебно-методическое пособие «Введение в оценку экологических рисков» предназначено для студентов старших курсов и магистрантов, обучаю-
щихся по программе Double Degree на английском языке и изучающих дисциплину «Оценка рисков» в рамках профессионального иностранного языка.  
Цель пособия – подготовить студентов к профессиональному общению 
на английском языке, в соответствии с рабочей программой дисциплины, путем введения и отработки основной терминологии модуля, закрепления навыков чтения текстов, связанных с направлением подготовки. Большое внимание 
уделяется также развитию умений и навыков говорения на темы, предусматриваемые модулем «Оценка рисков». Тексты пособия составлены на основе 
аутентичной учебной и научной литературы. 
 
УДК 504.064(075.8) 
ББК 20.18я73 
 
 
 
Рецензенты 

Доктор культурологии 
заведующая кафедрой иностранных языков СибГМУ 
С.Ю. Колесникова 

Кандидат филологических наук, 
доцент кафедры английской филологии ТГУ 
О.В. Нагель 

 
 
 
 
 
© ФГБОУ ВПО НИ ТПУ, 2013  
© Матвеенко И.А., Осипова Н.А., 2013 
© Оформление. Издательство Томского  
политехнического университета, 2015 

UNIT 1  
Risk assessment: main definitions and concepts 

Lead-in. Fill in the spidergram with the words associated with the word 
«risk». Explain your associations. 
 

 

Exercise 1. Read and remember the pronunciation 

[ʒ] decision, exposure, measure, measurement 
[∫] insurance, social, financial, potential, spatial  
[t∫] feature, conceptual, manufacture  
[u:] include, prove, pollutant 
[ju:] value, evaluate, human, therapeutic, duration 
[ai] provide, analyze, hypothesize, minimize, paramertize 
[aiə] require, environment, desirable, variety, entire 

Risk assessment and risk management 
Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is a process for collecting, organizing, 
and analyzing information to estimate the likelihood of undesired effects on 
nonhuman organisms, populations, and ecosystems. It was developed in the 
early to mid-1980’s to provide a basis for environmental decision making 
equivalent to human health risk assessment. It was derived from practices in 
human health risk assessment, environmental hazard assessment, and environmental impact assessment. However, the concept of estimating risk as a 
means of managing financial hazards through insurance, options, and other 
instruments dates at least to the late 17th century. All varieties of risk assess
Risk 

ment are based on the recognition that decisions must be made under conditions of uncertainty and that the desirability of alternative outcomes depends 
on their likelihood as well as their utility.  
The primary purpose for conducting ecological risk assessment of contaminated sites is to provide information needed to make decisions concerning site remediation. 
Risk assessment is the process of determining potential health effect on 
people exposed to environmental pollutants and potentially toxic materials. One 
of the defining features of ecological risk assessment is the standard framework 
which has evolved from the National Research Council for human risk assessment (USA, 1983). Such an assessment generally includes four steps: 
1. 
Identification of the hazard (or Problem formulation phase). Is the planning and problem definition phase. It includes:  
• 
Integrate available information assembling and summarizing data concerning sources, contaminants, effects, and the receiving environment. 
• 
Assessment endpoint – definition of the environmental values to be 
protected in operational terms. 
• 
Conceptual model – development of description for the hypothesized relationships between the wastes and the endpoint receptors. 
• 
Analysis plan – development of a plan for obtaining the needed data 
and performing the assessment. 
2. 
Dose-response assessment (or Analysis). This is a phase in which technical 
evaluation of the data concerning exposure and effect is performed. This involves figuring out whether and how the dose of a chemical (therapeutic 
drug, pollutant, or toxin) affects people’s health and environment. 
3. 
Exposure assessment. In this step we evaluate the intensity, duration, 
and frequency of human exposure to a particular chemical pollutant or 
toxin. This phase consists of: 
• 
Measures of exposure – results of measurements indicating the nature, distribution, and amount of the waste and its components at 
points of potential contact with receptors. 
• 
Exposure analysis – a process of estimating the spatial and temporal 
distribution of exposure to the contaminants. 
• 
Exposure profile – a summary of the results of the exposure analysis. 
4. 
Risk characterization. Using what we learned in the first three steps, we 
attempt to determine the percentage of the population at risk and the 
probability of individual suffering ill effects. In this phase the results of 
analysis are integrated to estimate and describe risks. It consists of: 
• 
Risk estimation – the process of using the results of the analysis of 
exposure to parameterize and implement the exposure-response 
model and estimate risk and of analyzing the associated uncertainty. 

• 
Risk description – the process of describing and interpreting the results of the risk estimation for communication to the risk manager.  
Risk management requires us to make scientific judgments and decide 
what actions we should take to help minimize health problems related to exposure to pollutants and toxins. Risk management takes into account our risk 
assessment plus technical, legal, political, social, and economic issues. It appears at two points in the framework. 
• at the beginning of assessment, the risk manager provides policy input 
to the problem formulation; 
• at the end of the assessment, the risk manager learns the results of the 
risk analysis and makes decision.  
Risk assessment and risk management can lead to arguments. Scientific 
opinions about toxicity of a substance are often to debate, and so are opinions about what actions to take. The appropriate action may be to apply the 
Precautionary Principle, that is to take cost-effective measures to protect 
ourselves even when we are not entirely certain about the risk. For example, 
although we cannot be absolutely certain how hormonally active substances 
such as the weed killer atrazine may affect us, that should not keep us from 
taking cost-effective steps to protect ourselves and the environment from 
the pesticide. The precautionary principle is emerging as a powerful ideology that is shifting the burden of proof from those who claim a substance is 
dangerous to those who manufacture, distribute, and use it. In short, it is not 
up to you to prove it’s harmful, it’s up to them to prove it’s not – before 
they use it. 

Exercise 2. Match the synonyms from A to B 

A 
B 

1. to determine 
a). to indicate 

2. to estimate 
b). probability 

3. to show 
c). debate 

4. framework 
d). danger 

5. likelihood 
e). to evaluate 

6. argument 
f). to affect 

7. pollutant 
g). to define 

8. to influence 
h). scheme 

9. hazard 
i). contaminant 

Exercise 3. Fill in the necessary preposition 

1. 
The purpose of exposure assessment is to estimate spatial and temporal 
distribution of exposure … the contaminants. 

2. 
Ecological risk assessment was derived … the experience in human 
health risk assessment. 
3. 
Risk assessment and risk management may lead … great arguments. 
4. 
Site remediation is much … to us! 
5. 
Risk management takes … account legal, technological, and financial 
issues in addition to risk assessment. 
6. 
Usually the environmental decisions are made … conditions of uncertainty and likelihood. 
7. 
Exposure assessment phase consists … measures of exposure, exposure 
analysis, and exposure profile. 
8. 
The aim of exposure measures is to determine the nature, distribution, 
and the amount of waste components … the point of potential contact 
with receptors. 

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences translating the Russian words 

1. 
Assessment endpoint means determination of the environmental values 
to be protected (в оперативные сроки). 
2. 
We cannot be (совершенно уверены) how biologically modified substances may affect us. 
3. 
It (зависит от) manufactures to prove that the goods they produce are 
not harmful. 
4. 
The risk manager learns the results of risk analysis and (принимает решение). 
5. 
Using risk characterization we try to determine the percentage of people 
(подвергающихся риску). 
6. 
In the stage of exposure assessment specialists evaluate the intensity, 
duration, and frequency of people’s (воздействие) a particular chemical 
pollutant. 
7. 
Developing the conceptual model ecologists describe (гипотетическое 
соотношение) between the wastes and the endpoint receptors. 

Exercise 5. Match the collocations, compose your own sentences with one 
of them. 

A 
B 

1. To take  
a). decision 

2. to make 
b). account 

3. to take into 
c). environment 

4. to perform  
d). pollutant 

5. to protect  
e). measures 

6. to expose to 
f). analysis 

Exercise 6. Match the stages and the appropriate actions  
of risk assessment 

Stages 
Actions 

Problem formulation 

a). technical evaluation of data on exposure and effect, figuring out whether and 
how the dose of a contaminant will affect human health and environment. 

Dose-response analysis 
b). determination of the percentage of 
population at risk and probability of an 
individual suffering ill effects. 

Exposure assessment 

c). Making scientific conclusion and decision on actions for minimizing health 
problems related to exposure to pollutants or toxins. 

Risk characterization 

d). assembling and summarizing data, 
definition of the environmental values to 
be protected, description of hypothesized relationships between the wastes 
and the receptor, development of plan 

Risk management 
e). evaluation of intensity, duration, and 
frequency of human exposure to pollutants or toxins. 

Exercise 7. Draw a framework of risk assessment on the basis of information from the text. 

Compare it to the model Appendix 1. Describe it.  

Texts for self-study 

Read the texts and answer the question. 

Text 1. Main definitions. Risk and hazard classification 

During last years the term “RISK” became very popular in different areas: engineering, economics, environment, management, biology & medicine, 
etc. and different authors use this term in different senses. Below we consider 
some definitions of risk in different sources. 
Definitions of risk 
There are many definitions of risk that vary by specific application and 
situational context. 
One is that risk is an issue, which can be avoided or mitigated (where an 
issue is a potential problem that has to be fixed now.) 
Risk is described both qualitatively and quantitatively. 

Qualitatively, risk is proportional to both the expected losses which may 
be caused by an event and to the probability of this event. Greater loss and 
greater event likelihood result in a greater overall risk. 
In engineering, the definition risk often simply is: 

 
Or in more general terms: 

 
In common risk is the chance that something undesirable will happen. 
Risk is described as a situation which would lead to negative consequences. 
Risk is considered as an indicator of threat, or depends on threats, vulnerability, impact and uncertainty. 
1. What is risk? Give all possible definitions. 

Text 2. Risk and hazard classification  

There are a lot of classifications of hazards and risks. Scientists distinguish types, categories, and indexes of risk. Below the classification of hazards and risks in the sphere of natural resource use is presented.  

 

According 
to the object of impact 

Individual
Collective
Social 
(F/N-curve)

Potential 
territorial

According 
to the human perceiving 

Constrained
Voluntary
Coercive