Dose-response relationship, effect on an organism or, more specifically, on the risk of a defined outcome produced by a given amount of an agent or a level of exposure. A dose-response relationship is one in which increasing levels of exposure are associated with either an increasing or a decreasing risk of the outcome. Demonstration of a dose-response relationship is considered strong evidence for a causal relationship between the exposure and the outcome. The chance of a causal relationship cannot be disregarded, however, even when a dose-response relationship is absent.