Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap

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KJM360

Assessing Risk to Man and Environment

Course responsible

Deborah H Oughton

IPM

Number of credits allocated

10.0

Language

English

Limits for class size

Minimum 5 students.

Semester/trimester

August block	Autumn parallel	January block	Spring parallel	June block
X				X

Colour explanation: Red/yellow = teaching periods. The red period indicates when the teaching starts.

Teachers

Per Strand, Brit Salbu, Ole Christian Lind, Lindis Skipperud.

Type of course

Lectures: 30 hours. Model and tool training/demonstrations: 20 hours. Seminars/Presentation of thesis: 10 hours. Independent study: 240 hours.

Compulsory educational activities

Field work.

Prerequisites

KJM350.

Recommended prerequisites

KJM350.

Exam

Assessment methods

The semester assignment counts 50% and the written exam counts 50% of total. Both parts must be passed.

Grading

A-F

Nominal workload

Total 300 hours

Course frequency

Odd years

Comment on frequency

Teaching methods

Lectures, practical demonstrations, training in using models and assessment tools, monitoring, semester assignment (Risk Assessment - 50% of grade).
Muntlig eksam (50% of grades)

Examiner

External examiner according to UMB regulations.

Entrance requirements

Special requirements in Science

Preferential right

M-RAD, M-MINA, M-kjemi.

Note

There will be around 30 hours intensiv lectures in Juneblock
Work with assignments, and presentation and oral exam in August.

Objective of course

Understand the basis for evaluations of the ecological impact of pollutants on man and the environment. Understand the links between science and policy in the management of pollutants. The course will use ionising radiation as a case study to illustrate the various methods and approaches for assessing the effects and impacts of environmental stressors. But the approaches and methods are generic, and can apply to any environmental pollutant, and students can choose their own stressor for their case study. Thus the course will be relevant for students within both radioecology and environmental chemitsry and ecotoxicology. For radioecologies it will enable them to put the models and approaches for assessing radiation in to contect with other environmental stressors as well as the protection of man from ionising radiation.

Course contents

Effects of environmental stressors on man and the environment. The course will use ionising radiation as a case study, but will cover protection and assessment approaches for any environmental pollutant, and students can choose their own stressor for their case study. Thus the course will be relevant for students within radioecology as it will enable them to put the models and approaches for assessing radiation in to contect with other environmental stressors as well as the protection of man from ionising radiation.

Themes: Biological effects, hazard characterisation, dose – effect relationship, dose-models, RBE, biological endpoints, cancer, dose to biota, ecotoxicology, micro-dosimetry. Ecological Impact and Risk Assessment: Environmental risk, risk characterization, species sensitivity distribution, population dynamics. Countermeasures and remediation. Environmental ethics: philosophy and principles. ALARA and BAT principles, international politics and conventions Field Course: Studies of radionuclides in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, sampling and environmental radiation monitoring.

Syllabus

Suter, A.J. Ecological Risk Assessment, CRC Press, 2006
Plus Handouts, research articles and reports.

Last updated

2011-04-12