Teaching methods
Modular course, per course day one or more subjects,eachsubject introduced with a lecture,studied in more depth and with self study text,exercised in a workgroup assignement and completed with a q&a lecture.
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Pre-requisites
Secondary shool level; sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology) recommended.
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Objectives
Operational knowledge of environmental risk assessment of chemicals. After completion, students have reached the level of assistant risk assessor. They can read and understand environmental risk assessment reports; bright and active students can question such reports. Students who have succesfully completed the course are ready to take MSc-level courses in environmental risk assessment and risk management of chemicals.
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Contents
Treatise of basic concepts of "gray" environmental science: the study of the relationship between economic use of chemical substances and environmental pollution and its consequences for human - and ecosystem health. Basic elements of the field are treated: what is a sediment-water partition coefficient?, what is the role of partition coefficients in behavior of chemicals in the environment?, do chemicals have different partition coefficients?, can they be measured?, how can their values be estimated?, can their values be found in books?, databases? Similarly for other basic elements: vapor pressure, solubility (in water), chemical degradation, biodegradation, half-life, volatilization, advection, deposition, emission, diffusion/dispersion, persistence, bioconcentration, accumulation. The basic tool of environmental risk assessment of chemicals is treated: simulation models to predict concentrations of a chemical in air, wate, soil and food are to be expected, given a known (estimated) emission and the physical and chemical substance properties. What is a mass balance equation and how is it used in calculating concentrations from emissions?
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Literature
In Blackboard, reading materials will be offered per course day. Materials to be reworked from
- D.T.H.M. Sijm et al. Transport, accumulation and transformation processes. In: Risk Assessment of Chemicals, (C. J. van Leeuwen, J.L.M. Hermens and Th. Vermeire, eds.), Kluwer, 2007.
- D van de Meent and JHM de Bruijn. Exposure Modeling. In: Risk Assessment of Chemicals, (C. J. van Leeuwen, JLM Hermens and Th Vermeire, eds.), Kluwer, 2007.
- D van de Meent, A Hollander, W Peijnenburg, T Breure. Fate and Transport of Contaminants. In: Ecological Impacts of Toxic Chemicals, eds. F. Sánchez-Bayo, P.J. van den Brink and R.M. Mann. Bentham Science Publishers Ltd, 2011.
- RWPM Laane et al. Modeling organic compounds in the estuarine and coastal environment. In: Treatise on estuarine and coastal science Volume 4, Geochemistry of estuaries and coasts, ed. G. Shimmield. Academic Press, 2011.
- LJ Thibodeaux and D Mackay. Handbook of chemical mass transport in the environment. Taylor and Francis, 2011.
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Extra information
New in 2012/2013; 3 ec (80 hr). First year limited to environmental chemistry; to be expanded with environmental toxicology in years to come.
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