WHY HAS EPA/INDUSTRY ADOPTED QUANTITATIVE RISK ASSESSMENT?
Understanding why this approach has been so aggressively promoted by EPA and industry requires an understanding of how EPA perceives its responsibility. First, EPA and industry believe the goal of environmental decision-making is to manage exposures to toxic substances. Citizens have always said the goal should be to prevent exposure. With management of pollutants and polluting facilities as the goal, EPA has looked for methods of controlling sources rather than protecting public health. Second, EPA is always trying to find ways to incorporate the appearance “scientific objectivity” into its decisions and QRA fits nicely into this approach. As a result, QRA gives EPA a way to estimate what levels of pollutants are “acceptable” without having to evaluate available technology, alternative processes, alternative substances or community concerns. For example, EPA can set cleanup levels or emission levels by calculating different risk levels and determining (in their infinite wisdom) what e
