Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a scientific process of evaluating the adverse effects caused by a substance, activity, lifestyle, or natural phenomenon. OEHHA is responsible for developing and providing risk managers in state and local government agencies with toxicological and medical information relevant to decisions involving public health. State agency users of such information include all boards and departments within Cal/EPA, as well as the Department of Public Health, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Justice.

Several laws and regulations govern OEHHA's risk assessment work.

Reports, Notices, Documents

November 2, 2015: Synthetic Turf Potential Health Impacts Public Workshop - Berkeley

Public Workshop in Berkeley for the Study of Chemical Exposures and Potential Health Impacts Associated with the Use of Synthetic Turf.

November 1, 2015: Synthetic Turf Potential Health Impacts Public Workshop - Webinar

Public Workshop for the Study of Chemical Exposures and Potential Health Impacts Associated with the Use of Synthetic Turf.

October 1, 2015: OEHHA Announces Public Workshops to Get Input for New Study of Health Impacts of Synthetic Turf Fields

Three public workshops and an interactive webinar held to receive public comments on OEHHA's synthetic turf study. An informational poster and agendas for the workshops are available.

February 26, 2015: A Story of Health - A Free eBook

A Story of Health was developed by ATSDR, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), the University of California, San Francisco, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (UCSF PEHSU), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California EPA (OEHHA), and the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN) to explain how environments interact with genes to influence health across the lifespan.

February 25, 2014: Children's Environmental Health Symposium 2014 - Impacts of Environmental Chemicals on Development

OEHHA hosted its Children's Environmental Health Symposium in Sacramento. The theme of the symposium was "Impacts of Environmental Chemicals on Development – Are complex interactions captured by traditional risk assessment practices?"