Animal Waste, Water Quality and Human Health

362Animal Waste, Water Quality and Human Healthmagnitude of the risk under different circumstances, or the risk to differentpopulations or sub-groups within the population.There are many frameworks that describe the interaction between riskassessment 1 and risk management, and a third component known as “riskcommunication” which involves understanding the interests, concerns and valuesof “stakeholders”, that is, those affected by the risk, so as to guide and optimizerisk management decisions. One depiction of the interaction among these aspectsof risk analysis is presented in Figure 10.1.RISK ASSESSMENTScience-basedRISK MANAGEMENTPolicy-basedRISK COMMUNICATIONInteractive exchange of opinionand information concerningriskFigure 10.1 A depiction of the interaction between risk assessors, risk managers and thoseaffected by the risk (‘stakeholders’) within the risk analysis framework developed by the WorldHealth Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Arrowsindicate lines of communication, while separate circles are intended to depict discrete roles ofthose responsible for risk assessment, those responsible for making decisions about risk, andstakeholders (based on: WHO/FAO 2009).1While some organisations consider risk assessment to encompass risk management, riskcommunication and risk analysis, many organisations involved in environmental and public healthrisk assessment consider risk analysis to be the ‘umbrella’ activity that encompasses riskassessment, management and communication. For example, the Society for Risk Analysis (http://www.sra.org) broadly defines risk analysis “…to include risk assessment, risk characterization,risk communication, risk management, and policy relating to risk.” We choose to adopt thisconvention here.