The Development of Environmental Criteria in a Risk Management Framework

A general framework is presented to show how environmental criteria can be developed consistent with the risk management concepts in recent national approaches to water quality, air quality and site contamination. The framework identifies three types of criteria:—investigation levels, environmental standards and pollution limits. The criteria are related to three practical interpretations of the precautionary principle. Examples are given of the implementation of these national approaches in Western Australia using this general framework. This has required the national policies to be supplemented with additional criteria so that a consistent approach to applying environmental criteria in a risk management context can be achieved.