ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
It is useful for a good understanding of the course to know the theoretical foundations of exposure assessment of risk factors and basic knowledge of the main risk agents for human health. Basics of general toxicology, biology, physics, inorganic and organic chemistry and environmental chemistry are also very useful. Understanding of the written English language is taken for granted.
Oral exam related to the content of the teaching material provided on the e-learning platform. To pass the test the student should demonstrate adequate knowledge of the topics covered by the course and the ability to properly master this knowledge. The terminological correctness and the skill to propose a correct methodological approach for assessing risk and impacts in hypothetical scenarios (living and working environments) will be positively evaluated.
More in detail, the assessment of knowledge and skills gained during the course will be verified through an oral test lasting about 30 minutes. The oral exam is aimed at ascertaining: 1) the ability to fully present a topic (or part of a topic) covered in the course; 2) the ability to respond concisely and precisely to a specific request; 3) the ability to use the knowledge and skills acquired in order to analyse problems explicitly addressed in the course and propose appropriate methodologies for their resolution.
The general objective of the teaching activity is to prepare the graduate for the knowledge of the criteria to face, on a scientific basis, the concrete challenges represented by environmental contaminants and risk agents on the topic of environmental protection, with particular attention to the emerging factors in able to influence public and occupational health and to the most current implications in the risk assessment of classic agents.
The course will have a highly practical orientation: after a brief introduction of topics, the most common and current problems in the assessment of chemical, physical and biological risks will be addressed and students will be provided with the criteria and strategies for their resolution, through a proper analysis and discussion of real cases.
The course will allow learners to face, with knowledge of the facts and according to scientific criteria, the most common problems in the field of occupational and environmental hygiene that could be encountered in real life and work scenarios, to reach a final decision on the acceptability of the risk and write suitable technical reports.
The profession of the occupational hygienist and the HSE manager:
- the industrial hygienist: knowledge and skills according to UNI 11711
- the professional figure of the HSE Manager
- responsible of prevention and protection services
Application problems in environmental and occupational hygiene:
- practical issues in the chemical risk assessment
- exposure assessment of chemical agents: the sampling design and statistical approaches for testing the compliance with limit values
- techniques for source apportionment and identification of exposure determinants
Emerging or particularly relevant risk factors:
- CHEMICAL RISKS:
> engineered nanomaterials
> crystalline silica and hardwood dust
> air pollution monitoring: urban air quality monitoring networks and remote sensing
- BIOLOGICAL RISKS:
> legionella pneumophila
> SARS-CoV-2
- ERGONOMIC RISKS:
> manual handling of loads
Environmental and occupational risk profiles (with examples of technical reports from real cases):
- health clinics and hospitals
- steel industry
- metalworking and electroplating sectors
- woodworking
- mining, ceramics, glass and cement industries
- agriculture
Indoor air quality assessment
> how to plan and carry out a survey
> applied examples in homes, schools and offices
> indoor air quality modelling: the case of home use of scented candles.
Environmental impact assessment
- the general framework of the EIA and SEA directives
- health impact assessment (HIA) and a real example (EXPO 2015 in Milan)
Book: none
Slides of lessons: All the material used for the lessons (slides, scientific papers, technical reports, etc.) will be provided and made available on the e-learning platform.
Frontal teaching, by teleconference, alternating the presence in the classroom between Como and Varese and with slide support. Case studies, scientific papers and technical reports will be presented for most of the topics.
The teacher is available in the classroom after the lessons and in his office (DiSAT, Floor -1 “Anello” building in via Valleggio 11, Como), by appointment requested by e-mail (andrea.cattaneo@uninsubria.it)