Assessment, Management and Communication of Environmental Risks

Code:

CAMB4006

Acronym:

CAMB4006

Level:

400

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Environmental Sciences

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Biology
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Soil Assessment and Remediation

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:ARS	1	The study plan since 2019/20	1	-	6	42	162
		Official study plan since 2024/2025	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

- To be able to distinguish predictive and retrospective risk assessment and understand the link between the two processes;

- To recognize the differences between European and North American risk assessment frameworks;

- To be able to use available tools to integrate toxicity data and derive concentrations that are expected to have no effect on ecosystems (PNECs) or hazardous concentrations for X% of species (HCx) for different chemical compounds;

- To understand the relationship between PNECs and SSVs (soil screening values) and apply them in the calculation of retrospective risks;

- To be able to calculate risks by integrating chemical, ecological and ecotoxicological data, using case studies;

- To be capable of calculating risks to human health, both for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic substances, using available models;

- To recognize the importance of integrating different stakeholder into risk assessment and risk management processes.

Learning outcomes and competences

The planned contents will allow students to acquire the fundamental concepts in Environmental and Human Health Risk Assessment, which can later be deepened in the Thesis. Students will also have the necessary knowledge to understand the legal framework of risk assessment processes and their importance both in the authorization of new chemical compounds and in the evaluation of contaminated sites. Following the UC of Soil Ecology and Ecotoxicology (1st semester), students will also be able to perceive the importance of ecotoxicological and ecological data and how it is integrated in environmental risk assessment.

Students will acquire the basic knowledge and capacities to use the main available mathematical models for estimating the risks to human health resulting from environmental exposures.

At the end, students will be able to plan at least the first tier of the environmental risk assessment and make recommendations for the risk communication and management of contaminated areas.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Ecotoxicology

Program

The contents of this UC are divided into 4 topics:

1. Predictive or prognostic risk assessment:

Main concepts and legal frameworks.

Probabilistic and non-probabilistic methods for calculating risk limits.

2. Retrospective or diagnostic risk assessment:

Main concepts and legal framework.

Main environmental risk assessment schemes in tiers and integration of data from different lines of evidence (chemical, ecotoxicological and ecological).

Calculation of risks and mathematical models for assessing the risks of mixtures.

Case studies.

 

3. Human health risk assessment:

Basic concepts.

Main risk assessment frameworks.

Calculation of risks for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic compounds.

Reduction of uncertainties in the calculation of risks.

Case studies.

  

4. Communication and risk management.

Mandatory literature

Duarte, A.C., Cachada, A., Rocha-Santos, T., ; Soil Pollution: From Monitoring to Remediation, Academic Press. Elsevier, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-12-849873-6
Jensen, J., Mesman, M., ; Ecological Risk Assessment of Contaminated Land. Decision Support for site specific investigations, RIVM report number 711701047, 2006. ISBN: 978-90-6960-138-0
Posthuma, L., Suter II, G.W., Traas, T.P. ; Species Sensitivity Distribution in Ecotoxicology, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, USA, 2002. ISBN: 1-56670-578-9
Swartjes, F.A.; Dealing with Contaminated Sites: from theory towards practical application., Springer Science and Business Media, Bilthoven, The Netherlands, 2011. ISBN: 9789048197576

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical-practical classes will use different strategies, including: (i) theoretical lectures to make students familiar with the methodologies, tools and models used to estimate risk limits or to perform risk calculations for ecosystems and human health; ii) practical activities for using the previously described tools for calculations based on data that will be provided for this purpose and, iii) role-play activities in which students will play the role of risk assessors  and have the opportunity to integrate all the knowledge and skills acquired in the curricular unit. In a second activity they will play the role of different stakeholders and practice communication and risk management.

 

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	20,00
Exame	30,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	8,00
Estudo autónomo	80,00
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	170,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance in 3/4 of theoretical-practical classes

Participation in the preparation and presentation of the scientific article and written work.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final classification of the CU, for a total score of 20, will calculated with the following equaation:

FC= PDSP*0.2+WW*0.5+FE*0.3

Presentation and discussion of a scientific paper (PDSP)
Written work (WW)
Final Exam (FE)