Lesson 3: Describing Risk

The risk description process — the development of a technical narrative supporting the risk estimate — is as important as the risk estimate itself.

When describing risks:

• Evaluate lines of evidence supporting or refuting the risk estimate(s).
• Determine the significance of adverse effects on the assessment endpoints.

Essential questions to address are:

• Will it affect the population overall?
• Will there be secondary effects that affect another organism (e.g., loss of a prey species)?
• Is there a source of emigrants to replace lost organisms?

Any associated uncertainties should also be evaluated.

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Relevant guidelines section(s): 5.1.5