Waste and Cleanup Risk Assessment

An acute hazard is defined as the potential for injury or damage to occur as a result of an instantaneous or short duration exposure to the effects of an accidental release.

For the purposes of assessing accidental releases to air, the two primary threats to the public are toxicity and flammability. EPA focuses on inhalation toxicity as the greatest toxic threat to the public. The severity of this toxic threat is measured by the concentration or dose level that could cause death or serious irreversible health effects after a short exposure. In terms of physical hazards to the public, EPA focuses on the effects of blast waves from vapor cloud explosions as the most serious hazard from a flammable substance.

External Links

Top of page

---

External Links

1. National Library of Medicine (NLM) Hazardous Substances Data Bank
   Broad scope in human and animal toxicity, safety and handling, environmental fate, and more. Scientifically peer-reviewed.

Top of page