"The recent evolution of risk regulations in general is discussed. The state-of-the-art probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) in the chemical industry and the current use of the results by the industry and the regulatory agencies are examined. The methodology of chemical risk assessment for routine as well as catastrophic release is discussed. More specifically are examined the questions of how to assess and report the uncertainties involved in the risk analysis, and where to include conservativeness. As an illustration, the problem of uncertainties in the dose—response relationships for carcinogens is considered. The adequacy and feasibility of safety goals such as those proposed in the nuclear industry as a basis for regulatory standards are discussed. The notion of coherence of standards is explored and a proposal is made to treat explicitly the analytical uncertainties both in the assessment of the risk and in the safety goals."

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