Human Health and Environment Risk Assessment   (553S2)

Academic year:

2024/2025.

Attendance requirements:

There are no requirements.

ECTS:

9

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Dubravka J. Relić, Ph.D.
associate professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistant:

Slađana D. Savić
teaching assistant, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: four hours of lectures + two hours of exercises + three hours of labwork (4+2+3)

Goals:

Provide basic skills in human and environmental risk assessment to students, to be able to calculate non-cancerous and carcinogenic risks based on environmental monitoring data (water from water, the soil around and dust samples from student houses), as well as determining the bioavailability of elements in trace amounts in solid specimens, soil and dust.

One goal is to enable students to independently plan and implement risk assessment procedures, to evaluate the significance of results and to demonstrate critical awareness of the importance of risk assessment and its limitations.

The other goal is to develop the ability in students to adapt and apply risk assessment methodology for solving unusual problems.

Outcome:

The student on master studies will develop comprehensive knowledge and critical awareness of significant areas of risk assessment and be appropriately prepared for contemporary professional practice in the environmental sciences or further study at the doctoral level. As a result, the student will demonstrate: a systematic and general understanding of the key concepts of human health and environmental risk assessment; the ability to adapt and apply appropriate risk models to address the extraordinary problems associated with human health and environmental risk assessment; ability to communicate risk assessment results b skills required for independent work and self-criticism in risk assessment; and the ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations.

Teaching methods:

Lectures, theoretical exercises, labwork, semmester papers.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

1. D. Relić: Lecture notes.
2. USEPA, (1998), Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment, US Environmental protection Agency, EPA/630/R-95/002F, 188pp.
3. USEPA, (1989), Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund Volume I Human Health Evaluation Manual (Part A), US Environmental protection Agency, (EPA/540/1-89/002), 291pp.
4. EC, (2003), Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment - Part 1: Risk Assessment for Human Health, European Chemical Bureau, (EUR 20418 EN/1) 311pp
5. EC, (2003), Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment - Part 2: Environmental Risk Assessment, European Chemical Bureau, (EUR 20418 EN/1) 337pp

Supplementary coursebooks:

1. Auxiliary material for laboratory exercises, NETCHEM, 2018.
2. Environment and human health, EEA Report 2013.
3. S. E. Manahan: Fundamentals of Environmental and Toxicological Chemistry Sustainable Science, CRC Press, 2013, ISBN 13-978—4665-7317-0.
4. C. J. van Leeuwen, T. G. Vermeire: Risk assessment of Chemicals: An Introduction, Springer, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4020-6101-1.
5. P. L. Williams, R. C. James, S. M. Roberts: Principles of toxicology, Environmental and Industrial Applications, Second edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2000, p. 3-56, ISBN 0-471-2931-0.
6. J. A. McGrath, P. R. Paquin, D. M. Di Toro: Use of the SEM and AVS approach in predicting metal toxicity in sediments, ICMM Fact Sheet on Environmental Risk Assessment, 2002, pdf.
7. https://www.epa.gov/risk
8. https://www.epa.gov/iris
9. https://rais.ornl.gov/
10. https://www.eea.europa.eu/

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

10 points (4 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Introductory lecture; Basic definitions and data sources.
2. Basic concepts in toxicology.
3. Dose-response, toxicological reference values.
4. Risk ratio, probability ratio, cohort, case control, risk matrix.
5. Adsorption, distribution and elimination of toxic agents.
6. USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) Human health risk assessment - exposure assessment; exposure quantification; toxicity assessment; risk characterization.
7. Human health risk assessment II - EEA model (DNEL, DMEL).
8. Chemical agents.
9. Biological Agents and Physical Agents.
10. Tier approach, conceptual model, CLEA.
11. In vitro models for assessing bioavailability.
12. Background concentrations (normalization); SEM and ASV.
13. EEA - REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals).
14. Environmental Risk Assessment II - USEPA Model.

Exercises:

10 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Calculation of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks based on the input data provided (concentrations of pollutants in drinking water, soil, air, food; different routes of exposure - ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation).
2. Calculation of carcinogenic or mutagenic risk based on input data (concentrations of pollutants in drinking water, soil, air, food; different routes of exposure - ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation), adjustable formula.
3. Calculation of the pollutant concentration based on the targeted, accepted or given non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risk.

Labwork:

10 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Determination of total content of elements in soil samples from the residential area - sample digestion and determination of element concentrations using ICP-OES and/or XRF analysis of soil samples.
2. Determination of total content of elements in drinking water samples - by ICP-OES and/or ICP-MS.
3. Determination of the total content of elements in dust samples - sample digestion and determination of element concentrations by ICP-OES and/or XRF analysis of dust samples.
4. Determination of bioaccessible fraction of elements from soil and dust samples, simulation of the influence of gastrointestinal enzymes - determination of element concentrations in extracts by ICP OES and/or ICP MS.
5. Determination of the total content of elements in children's toys samples - sample digestion and determination of element concentrations by ICP-OES.
6. Creating a risk matrix based on working during laboratory exercises.
7. Calculation of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk based on the results obtained for soil, dust and drinking water samples.

Semester papers:

10 points

Oral exam:

60 points