A key factor in the development of a strategy for the control of environmental pollution or the protection of human health is the assessment of the risk associated with the accidental or intentional release of the chemical. A risk assessment may be used to estimate the degree of risk reduction that could result from the consideration of control scenarios that may be implemented in the regulatory process. As legislation and regulations have been enacted over the years to control chemical releases and to institute risk strategies, a diversity of approaches and technical quality in risk assessments resulted and complicated the management of environmental risks. The paper reviews the recent major U.S. reports on the issues of risk assessment and risk management and the response of federal agencies to the recommendations made in those reports. A more detailed description in this area is provided including as an example the recent risk assessment for dichloromethane (methylene chloride).