Postgraduate - UnitMPH5243 - Chemical and biological hazards

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Offered	Alfred Hospital First semester 2014 (Day) Alfred Hospital First semester 2014 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Dr D Glass

Synopsis

Prevention of human disease resulting from workplace exposures to chemical and biological hazards. Covering toxicological principles, health effects of the major groups of chemical substances, as well as biological hazards from blood and bodily secretions, water, food, animals and travelling abroad.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

list groups of commonly encountered substances, giving examples of each;
relate the principles of toxicokinetics and the metabolism of foreign substances by the human body;
describe the common and well-known adverse effects from substances and biological agents;
describe the common and important infections spread by water, food, air, blood and animal secretions;
implement methods to control the spread of such infections;
describe what is meant by immunity, allergy and vaccination;
research, reflect on, interpret and critically analyse information about the health effects of substances and biological agents; and
effectively and sensitively communicate or transmit synthesized information about risks due to substances and biological agents to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Assessment

Multiple choice test and short answer test (10% each)
Web based tasks (Online discussion 10% and Online book exercises 20%)
Written assignment (Outline 5% and Essay 25%)
Presentation (20%)

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Deborah Glass

Off-campus attendance requirements

18 contact over 4 days

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/epidemiology/pgrad