RISK ASSESSMENT (ENVR 727)

Instructor:

Professor Charles N. Haas (x2283, Nesbitt, room 603)

E-mail haas@drexel.edu

Course Prerequisites:

ENVR 501 (chem) and ENVR 506 (statistics)

Class Web Page:

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~haascn/ENVR_727/

Texts:

Students should read the assignments before class. The lecture notes for each class will be posted on the web site no later than the weekend before each class. Students who wish to do so should download/print the notes prior to class&endash;following the first class, no hard copies will be distributed.

Grading:

Term paper/project: (oral presentation) 20 %

Term paper/project (written) 35 %

Class participation 20 %

Problem Sets 25 %

No late assignments will be accepted. No faxed or e-mailed assignments will be accepted.

In this class, students will "self-grade" their problem sets. The answers will be downloaded to the web site. The week after the problem sets are due, each student is to indicate his/her self-grade on a 1-5 system, based on the following:

5: all problems correct

4: some arithmetic errors

3: many arithmetic errors and/or some conceptual errors

2: many conceptual errors

1: one or more problems not done or completely wrong

Student's should hand in the original of their homework, and retain a photocopy for their files. The instructor retains the right to revise the student's self-grading based on random examination of problem sets.

Tentative Class Outline  

	TOPIC	READINGS
1/6/00	Why Use Risk Assessment, and How it is used Historical Perspective Risk Assessment in the Federal Government Stages in a risk assessment Probability & Statistics	MH: Ch 2, Ch 3 GG: p43-50, 156-163
1/13/00	Probability and Statistics (con't) Distributions of Importance Fitting distributions to data	MH: Ch 5
1/20/00 PRECIS DUE	Beginning the Assessment What is a Carcinogen, and How do we make the judgment Dose-response assessment for noncarcinogens
1/27/00	Carcinogen Dose-Response Assessment "Standard" format for bioassay Mouse to man problem What dose-response curve to use Case Study: Chloroform in Drinking water	GG: pp76-100
2/3/00	Uncertainty and Variability Distributions for variable inputs (e.g., exposure) Uncertainty in dose-response estimates	MH: Ch 4, Ch 6
2/10/00   PRELIMINARY REFERENCE LIST DUE	Advanced modeling efforts PBPK models MLVK models Dose-response-time curves
2/17/00	Integrating the results Risk Characterization Sensitivity Analysis as a means of focusing future efforts Risk versus Perceived Risk	MH: Ch 8, Ch 9 GG: pp53-75, 183-193
2/24/00	Risk from Microorganisms
3/2/00	NO CLASS
FRIDAY, 3/10/00 (note special time)	PRESENTATION TO CLASS, AND WRITTEN PAPERS DUE