Development of a framework for risk tradeoff analysis of chemical substance substitution

A chemical substance is often substituted for another to reduce risks associated with use of the original substance. However, the replacement may be associated with new risks, and this introduces a risk tradeoff problem. Although the concept of risk tradeoff analysis has been discussed in this context, no feasible method has yet been developed. In this study, a novel assessment method was proposed, based on relative risk comparison among substances, through an examination of some possible approaches. Case studies were also conducted to assess the efficacy of the method.