Designed for consumers of risk information, this book offers a balance between the technical and nontechnical literature. The discipline of risk analysis has developed into an organized body of knowledge and methods only within the past 20 years. The passage of federal laws to protect public health and the environment has generated rapid growth in risk analysis in numerous fields. Statements of risk need to be understood to be useful to the public and environmental managers. This guidebook provides a tool for understanding risk analysis. Chapters: overview of risk analysis; hazard identification; risk assessment; and risk communication.