Humans are constantly, and increasingly, exposed to chemicals - some naturally occurring and some manufactured. Exposure to some of these chemicals, or to large amounts of them, can bring risks to human health and the environment. - How do we decide what is an acceptable level of risk? - Who is best-placed to make these assessments? - How are these assessments to be carried out? Toxicity and Risk sets out the political, social, legal and scientific basis of risk assessment and risk management. Taking a highly multidisciplinary approach, the book discusses concepts of importance to industry, academia, health and safety bodies and society in general, such as individual risk and social risk. The role of government and the judicial system, and the contrast between EU, UK and US legal and administrative frameworks for handling risk analysis are also discussed.