600-303 Environmental Risk Assessment

One of 654-204 Ecology: Individuals and Populations or 606-204 Ecology: Communities and Ecosystems or 620-270 Applied Statistics.

620-160 Experimental Design & Data Analysis or equivalent statistics, mathematics or quantitative methods subject.

Students completing this subject should be familiar with the concept of exposure pathways; understand the ecological processes associated with contamination in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; and be able to develop empirical models and estimate exposures and responses in ecological systems. The course includes an outline of the framework for applying the concepts of risk assessment to achieve management goals. Students will learn how to perform fundamental exposure, hazard and ecological risk assessment procedures. The subject content includes the psychology and history of risk perception, exposure pathways, models for environmental toxicology, Australian standards for risk assessment, response surfaces, indicator species and exemplars, test endpoints, assessment endpoints and management goals, extrapolations among taxa, interval, arithmetic, empirical modelling, parameter estimation, and risk assessment.

Practical tasks throughout the semester (20%), a written assignment of up to 3000 words due at the end of semester (20%); a 3-hour written examination in the examination period (60%). Satisfactory completion of both practical work and the examination is necessary to pass the subject.