Essence of risk characterization
Risk characterization is one of the most critical steps in risk assessment and analytical process. The nature and impact of risks should be characterized to enhance disaster preparedness in the event that the risk poses adverse outcomes (Meng et al. 2222). The petro-chemical industry has various risks that require proper characterization. In this regard, characterization of risks helps in interpreting information by allowing proper discussion of uncertainties involved.
Problems
Failure to characterize risks may result into problems. The petro-chemical industry experiences fires and explosions due to failure characterize risks and develop methods to avert the risks (Mannan et al. 13). The problems include fires and explosion from pipelines, pump stations; jet fires from gas plants; fires from refineries as well as vapor explosions from storage plants.
Differences in the use and limitations of toxicity assessments
Toxicity assessments help in developing a correlation between contaminants of concern and the receptor. This assessment determines the potential adverse effects of contaminants of concern as well as their concentration (Wetmore 161). In this regard, toxicity and risk assessments help to determine effects of exposure to petro chemicals to human health. However, these assessments are often prone to violation by law and policy makers in order to increase revenue to the state.
Distribution of risks among populations
Exposure to petro chemicals pose significant risk to populations in the area or region of extraction. The rural populations where raw materials are extracted are at greater risks of exposure compared to regions that lack raw materials (Zhang et al. 195). Urban populations experience the greatest risk due to manufacture and distribution of petro-chemical products.
Confidence and uncertainty in relation to risks assessments
Confidence involves being certain about a future outcome whereas uncertainty in risk assessment involves unknown information or consequence (Arshad et al. 25). Uncertainty is measured by assigning probabilities to each possible outcome.
Works Cited
Arshad, Syed Z., et al. "Investigating User Confidence for Uncertainty Presentation in
Predictive Decision Making." Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Australian Special Interest Group for Computer Human Interaction. ACM, 2015.
Mannan, Sam, ed. Lees' Loss prevention in the process industries: Hazard identification,
Meng, Xiaojie, et al. "Regional environmental risk assessment for the Nanjing Chemical
Industry Park: an analysis based on information-diffusion theory." Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 28.8 (2014): 2217-2233.
Wetmore, Barbara A., et al. "Integration of dosimetry, exposure, and high-throughput
screening data in chemical toxicity assessment." Toxicological Sciences 125.1 (2012):
157-174.
Zhang, Lai, et al. "The inventory of sources, environmental releases and risk assessment for
perfluorooctane sulfonate in China." Environmental Pollution 165 (2012): 193-198.
