STRATEGIES FOR RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK REDUCTION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

State Environment Policy, the basic document approved by the Government of the Czech Republic in 1995, states that the goals of environmental policy on the instruments for their attainment must be formulated to maximize the potential for an optimal system. This process should proceed from finding a socially and economically acceptable level of environmental and human health risks. The recognition of current levels of risk obviously requires the unified methodology of both human health and environmental risk assessment, while the achievement of socially and economically acceptable levels needs the system of risk management. Brief history and the current state-of-art of development in human health and environmental risks assessment is presented. Specific features of the environmental risk assessment method are pointed out and the way of implementation into the prepared acts is described. It is concluded, that the methodology of risk assessment and risk management has undergone an intensive process of development within past decade in the Czech Republic. It could be stated that they happened to be certain cornerstones of the state environmental policy and important part of the legalisation.