What are the primary objectives of risk assessment in environmental health?

The primary objectives of risk assessment in environmental health focus on identifying hazards, assessing exposure, and characterizing health risks. This process is systematic and involves several key steps to evaluate potential human health risks associated with environmental hazards.

Identifying hazards refers to recognizing substances, situations, or practices that may lead to harmful effects on health, such as chemicals, biological agents, or physical factors. The next step is assessing exposure, which means determining how often and at what levels individuals may come into contact with these hazards in their environment. Finally, characterizing health risks involves evaluating the likelihood and severity of adverse health effects that could result from this exposure.

This comprehensive approach enables public health professionals and policymakers to understand the relationships between environmental factors and health outcomes, prioritize interventions, and make informed decisions to protect public health.

In contrast, some of the other options focus on aspects that are outside the scope of a risk assessment's fundamental objectives, such as attempting to eliminate all risks entirely, which is not feasible in practice. Focusing solely on economic impacts ignores important health considerations and stakeholder engagement in advocacy does not directly align with the core purpose of risk assessment in evaluating health risks.