Læringsmål

The student will be instructed in the procedures associated with ecological risk assessment. The aim is to provide the student with the know-how and skill required to undertake an ecological risk assessment.

The student will learn how to:
· Carry out an ecological risk assessment in relation to a given problem and to present the outcome of the risk assessment in a form that may be used to devise a risk management measure.
· Define environmental/ risk management measures based on scientific principles and interpret an ecological risk assessment in terms of the process and results and.

Innhold

· Case studies.

· Characterisation of ecological effects. Stressor-response analysis. Quantification of ecological effects: LC50, EC50, NOEC.

· Ecological effects on different ecological levels: single species tests, population studies, ecosystem-level tests (microcosm’s, mesocosm´s and field studies).

· Ecological risk assessment: field, objectives and concepts

· Ecological risk assessment as a decision-making tool: ecological risk assessment and risk management, participants, quality assurance

· Exposure characterisation. What is exposure? Definition.

· Exposure analysis: exposure pathways, fate and transport models.

· Planning laboratory tests. Selection of appropriate end-points. Tiered approach.

· Risk characterisation. Quantification of risk. Uncertainty assessment.

· Risk assessment tools 1. Fate and transport models. Modelling exposure of biotic stressors: population dynamics models. Toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic models. SAR and QSAR models.

· Stressor characterisation. Chemical, physical and biological stressors (exotic species and GMOs). Secondary stressors. Interaction of stressors: graph theory.

Links

http://www.chem.unep.ch/
UNEP Chemicals is the centre for all chemicals-related activities of the United Nations Environment Programme. The website is mainly targeted at promotion the exchange of information on chemicals.

http://ecb.jrc.it/
Gives testing guidelines, case studies for new and existing chemicals.

http://ecvam-sis.jrc.it/
SIS is a database of the European Commission, providing information on advanced non-animal test development and validation.

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/
Official website of the European Union, with access to all legislation.

www.great-er.org
Website of the GREAT-er project. GREAT-er is Geography-Referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers. It is a model for environmental risk assessment and management of chemicals in river basins. The software is accessible for free to anyone involved in environmental research, risk assessment, management or education. The project was sponsored by the Environmental Risk Assessment Steering Committee (ERASM) of the Association Internationale de la Savonnerie, de la Détergence et des produits d'Entretien (AISE) and the Comité Européen des Agents de Surface et de leurs Intermédiaires Organiques (CESIO), in cooperation with the UK Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water.

www.riskworld.com
General website, with all necessary info on risk assessment (even jobs).

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/risk/tooleco.htm
Provides access to publications in ERA by US EPA

http://www.oecd.org/
Provides access to OECD publications.

Organisering

Interactive. Concepts, methods of ecological risk assessment are provided using a step-by-step approach: students learn to carry out an ecological risk assessment by implementing one.

Vurderingsformer

Students are required to carry out an ecological risk assessment for a given substance and submit the assessment in writing. Assessment is based on the following criteria:

· Correct application of the environmental risk assessment algorithm

· Comprehensive description of the stressor

· Selection of appropriate end-points

· Appropriate quantitative estimation of stressor-response relationships, proper application of statistical methods (probit, ANOVA)

· Proper quantification of risk

Det tas forbehold om mindre justeringer i planen.