MPH2045 - Environmental health risk assessment and management

Leader(s): Professor B Priestly

Offered

Alfred Hospital Second semester 2009 (Day)
Alfred Hospital Second semester 2009 (Off-campus)

Synopsis

Australian (enHealth) framework for health risk assessment (HRA); risk management & risk communication; hazard identification, with particular reference to air, water, soil & food contaminants; sustainable development; industry stewardship; exposure & dose-response modeling; biomarkers; influences on community perception of environmental risk (including the role of the media) strategies for effective risk communication.

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. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods used to identify common environmental hazards, to measure the level of human exposure to them and their management.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods used to undertake environmental health risk assessment, including the limitations of these methods.
6. Interpret the results of HRA and their use in setting intervention criteria.
7. Understand factors which influence community perception of environmental hazards.
8. Be able to frame effective strategies to communicate the concepts of risk.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of the policy issues associated with HRA and risk management, including the role for Australian bodies which use HRA in standard setting.

Assessment

Written assignments 60%
Examination 40%

Off-campus attendance requirements

18 contact hours over 3 days