NITRATE RISK MANAGEMENT UNDER UNCERTAINTY

In many areas throughout the United States, ground-water supplies are contaminated by nitrates. Nitrate contamination has been a subject of concern because nitrate salts can induce infant methemoglobinemia and possibly cancer. Nitrate risk management describes the process of evaluating risk-management strategies and selecting the best management scheme. Available nitrate risk-management strategies can be investigated based on the acceptable level of human health risk, the reasonableness of the nitrate-control cost, and the technical feasibility of each nitrate-control method. However, the objectives of the risk reduction and cost are in conflict. In addition, each phase of the risk, cost, and technical-feasibility assessment is associated with uncertainty. In this study, a multicriterion decision-making methodology is provided to assist decision makers in determining, with uncertain information, which of the nitrate risk-management strategies best satisfies the considerations of health risk, cost, and technical feasibility.