Risk Assessment & Standard Setting

When the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) made the NEPM for Ambient Air Quality in 1998, it established the Risk Assessment Taskforce (RATF) to investigate the potential for the use of risk assessment in the NEPC context, particularly in relation to ambient air quality standards.

The membership of the RATF was drawn from State and Commonwealth agencies, industry, and the conservation movement. It was chaired by the NEPC Executive Officer.

The RATF completed its Report in October 2000.

NEPC Committee agreed that:

• health risk assessment is one possible tool for setting standards;
• the standard setting process used (including the possible use of health risk assessment) will be determined on a case-by-case basis for each pollutant;
• the possible use of health risk assessment in setting standards for a given pollutant would require an assessment of the availability of relevant data and the cost effectiveness of the approach(es) suggested.

In addition, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) established a standard setting working group to develop an agreed approach to setting Australian air quality standards. The working group comprises equal representation of health and environment sectors and is jointly chaired by a representative from the EPHC and from the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council.

A draft framework has been developed that builds on the RATF Report but extends beyond risk assessment to take into account health impacts, social, economic and environmental impacts, exposure assessmenr, together with a review of international appraoches to standard setting. A workshop involving health and environment experts from around Australia and overseas was held in July 2006 to finalise an agreed approach to health risk assessment.

During 2007/2008 work was undertaken to develop the exposure assessment component of the risk assessment framework and it is anticipated that the recommended approach will be presented to EPHC for release for public consultation in early 2009.