| Unit name | Health protection: Environmental, chemical and radiological hazards and occupational health |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0005 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Frank De Vocht |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
This unit aims to equip students with an understanding of contribution of the general and occupational environments to population health, and the role of chemical exposures therein. Students will gain knowledge about basic toxicological principles and an understanding of important environmental and occupational chemical, radiological and physical hazards, as well as on the impact of major national and global public health events including climate change and natural disasters such as flooding. Students will gain practical experience and knowledge of the measurement, assessment and modelling of exposures in the outdoor and indoor general environments and the occupational environment, and gain an understanding of how these are used to estimate health risks in these settings using epidemiological and risk assessment methods.
Students will be considering the public health impact, framework of response and the legal framework of environmental and occupational disasters. Students will discuss the ethical issues related to environmental and occupational hazards, including the ALARA and precautionary principles, throughout.
By the end of this unit students will be able to
The unit will consist of 10 teaching weeks, plus a reading and a revision week.
Contact hours will include campus-based lectures (10 hours) and practicals, including group-work (15 hours). In addition, students will engage with self-study in the form of suggested reading, quizzes, multi-media resources and completion of assessments (75 hours).
Formative assessments will support student learning by using exercises, quizzes and group exercises.
Summative assessment is split between a group assessment and closed-booked exam. A group project will be run, based on the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s monograph working group process for evaluating evidence on carcinogens. Results will be presented in a research colloquium style. This forms 30% of the overall unit mark.
The unit is assessed by a 1-hour closed-book exam (70%) (ILOs 1-6). The exam will assess all intended learning outcomes. It will contain short-answer and multiple-choice questions.
A score of 50% will be required to pass the module.
Reading and References*
There is no set course textbook.
Recommended reading
