MPH2045 - Principles of environmental health risk assessment

Leader: Professor B Priestley

Offered

Alfred Hospital First semester 2007 (Day)

Synopsis

Australian (enHealth) framework for health risk assessment (HRA); comparison with international HRA approaches; hazard identification, dose-response, exposure assessment, risk characterization; examples of environmental HRA relating to air, water, soil and food; risk assessment of occupational hazards and control measures; chemical sensitivity.

Objectives

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Nominate the important hazards and risks to health from the environment in Australia.
2. Access available information about these hazards, which are useful in the (Health Risk Assessment) HRA process.
3. Critically appraise published epidemiological articles related to environmental health risks.
4. Evaluate the results of toxicological studies, which are used in HRA.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods used to identify common environmental hazards and to measure the level of human exposure to them.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods used to undertake environmental health risk assessment, including the limitations of these methods.
7. Interpret the results of HRA and their use in setting intervention criteria.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of the policy issues associated with HRA, including the role for Australian bodies which use HRA in standard setting.

Assessment

Written assignments 60%
Examination 40%

Off Campus Attendance Requirements

15 contact hours over 3 days