Chemical Risk Assessment

You will learn about the scientific background to current approaches for the environmental risk assessment of chemicals. Furthermore, you will get an overview of how risk assessment is actually implemented in national and trans-national procedures and of the socio-political context in which this process takes place. You will get knowledge about details on important regulatory frameworks, such as the IPPC directive (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control), the Biocide directive, the European Water Framework Directive or the REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals). Although the major focus will be on European approaches, comparisons with other methodologies such as those put forward by the US Environmental Protection Agency or the OECD will also be made.

You will be presented to the typical three steps during a risk assessment of chemicals and you will be provided to an overview on approaches and methodologies for (a) hazard assessment (b) exposure assessment and (c) risk assessment of chemicals. Although the course focuses on risk assessment for the environment, references to human health risk assessment will be made from time to time, in order to analyse commonalities and differences between these two major risk assessment fields.

The forms of studies during the course include lectures, seminars and group exercises.