As a whole the risk assessment process can be highly iterative; meaning that one or several steps may need to be re-evaluated when, for instance, new information becomes available in an attempt to increase the level of certainty.
The methodologies for risk assessment of LMOs have evolved over the last several years. At a conceptual level, the methodologies have been adapted from the existing paradigms for environmental risk assessment developed for chemicals and other types of environmental stressors (Hill, 2005). As a result, the terminology used within each methodology may vary.
Familiarity with the different terms used in risk assessment enables a more direct comparison between the terminology used in Annex III and different risk assessment frameworks. It will also facilitate the interpretation of results from different risk assessments, for instance, for the same LMO.
