180.601.81
Environmental Health
Location
Internet
Term
3rd Term
Department
Environmental Health and Engineering
Credit(s)
5
Academic Year
2013 - 2014
Instruction Method
TBD
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Introduction to Online Learning; college courses in general biology, algebra, and physics or chemistry.
Examines health issues, scientific understanding of causes, and possible future approaches to control of the major environmental health problems in industrialized and developing countries. Topics include how the body reacts to environmental pollutants; physical, chemical, and biological agents of environmental contamination; vectors for dissemination (air, water, soil); solid and hazardous waste; susceptible populations; biomarkers and risk analysis; the scientific basis for policy decisions; and emerging global environmental health problems.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Define the major environmental agents (i.e., environmental chemical, biological, and physical agents that cause adverse effects on human health) and their sources
- Discuss the transport and fate of these agents in the environment, and identify the carriers or vectors (air, water, soil, and food) that promote the transfer of these agents from the environment to the human
- Describe the toxicokinetics of these agents in the body, including the effect of route of entry (inhalation, ingestion, absorption)
- Describe the toxicodynamics of these agents, including biotransformation and the mechanisms by which they exert adverse health effects, and the use of models for prediction of the magnitude of adverse effects
- Identify and define the steps in the risk assessment process, including both exposure and dose-response assessment, and the sources and magnitude of uncertainty
- Describe various risk management approaches, including regulatory, engineering, and behavioral/risk communication options
- Describe specific genetic factors (including gender- and ethnicity-related factors), physiologic factors (including age- and health status-related factors), and psychosocial factors (including SES- and social/cultural-related factors) that influence the risk of exposure and/or the likelihood of developing adverse health outcomes from exposure to environmental agents
- Identify techniques for improving risk assessment and risk management strategies, including consideration of: (1) factors in the physical environment, (2) factors in the social environment, (3) community-based participation in both the assessment/management process and in basic environmental/public health research, and (4) issues of environmental justice/equity
This course is offered in two venues: Summer Term in East Baltimore and Third Term in Distance Education format via the internet. The Third term Distance Education venue is a pure internet course, will all lectures, discussions, and other interactions occuring via the web. The Summer Term East Baltimore venue is a combination face-to-face class session for delivery of selected lectures and for all question and answer and discussion sessions, along with Internet delivery of all other lectures.