Human and Environmental Risk Assessment: State of the Art and Future Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, risk assessment (RA) has become a very popular research topic, as well as a powerful tool for enforcement of legal actions regarding environmental remediation and health improvements. In the context of environmental protection, the pioneer in risk assessment analysis was the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), whose first RA analysis, performed in the 1980s, was related to risk assessment of carcinogens and whose results were to be involved in the regulatory process. Since then, the risk assessment methodology has spread out and is currently being commonly used in various fields of environmental research. 

Moreover, risk characterization is not the final step of the procedure. Risk management and risk communication are two important following steps, and their aim is to introduce risk assessment results into economical and socio-demographical realities, respectively. In particular, since living organisms exist in already polluted environments, knowledge of what is the risk level regarding their exposure and adverse health effects is especially needed.
On the other hand, as there is no universal approach for all risk assessment scenarios, lack of knowledge regarding usage of the methodology may lead to incorrect conclusions. This is particularly important as risk assessment results might be the base of legal decisions and court hearings. 

To sum up, as the risk assessment methodology and its applications have evolved throughout recent decades, the aim of this Special Issue is to gather all the respective knowledge on history, foundations, methodology, case studies, lacks and gaps in experience, forecasted difficulties, future directions, etc., from any of the scientific, economical, sociological, managerial, and environmental perspectives. 

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Gruszecka-Kosowska
Guest Editor

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