Course syllabus

Course-PM

TEK675 Environmental risk assessment lp3 VT22 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the divison of Environmental Systems Analysis at the department of Technology Management and Economics

Contact details

Teachers:

Guest lecturers:

  • Jenny Norrman, associate professor, lectures about risk assessment of contaminated soil
  • Olle Häggqvist, professor, lectures about existential risks 
  • Andreas Lindhe, associate professor, lectures about logic trees
  • Rosana Moraes, PhD, senior project manager at Golder, lectures about environmental risk assessment in practice

Course purpose

The aim of the course is for the students to become knowledgeable about environmental risks and be able to apply some methods and tools useful in environmental risk assessment. 

Schedule

See top meny under Modules. 

Course literature

Note that all the literature is freely available via Canvas links, Chalmers’ library and/or the web.

Additional literature for Seminar 1 will be provided.

  1. Aerts et al. 2013. Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation. European Environment Agency. Copenhagen. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2 
  2. Boholm and Corvellec 2011. A relational theory of risk. Journal of Risk Research, 14, 2, 175-190. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13669877.2010.515313
  3. Boström 2013. Existential risk prevention as global priority. Global Policy, 4, 1, 15-31. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1758-5899.12002
  4. Burgman 2005. Risks and Decisions for Conservation and Environmental Management Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Chapter 1, 2, 5.1, 6-8, 10.
    https://www.vlebooks.com/Vleweb/Product/Index/2005222
  5. Börjesson et al. 2002. Scenario types and techniques: Towards a user’s guide. Futures, 38, 723-739.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328705002132
  6. Diamond et al. 2015. Exploring the planetary boundary for chemical pollution. Environment International, 78, 8-15. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412015000288
  7. Hammar et al. 2014. Assessing ecological risks of offshore wind power on Kattegat cod. Renewable Energy, 66, 414-424. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148113007015
  8. Harremoës et al. 2001. Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000. Environmental Environment Agency: Copenhagen. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/environmental_issue_report_2001_22 
  9. van Leeuwen and Vermeire 2007. Risk assessment of chemicals: an introduction. Springer: Dordrecht. Chapter 1-4, 7. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4020-6102-8
  10. Lindhe et al. 2009. Fault tree analysis for integrated and probabilistic risk analysis of drinking water systems. Water Research, 43, 1641-1653. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135408006568
  11. Moraes et al. 2003. Establishing Causality between Exposure to Metals and Effects on Fish. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 9, 149-169. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713609857
  12. Slovic et al. 1982. Why study risk perception? Risk Analysis, 2, 2, 83-93. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1539-6924.1982.tb01369.x 
  13. Suter II, 1996. Guide for developing conceptual models for ecological risk assessment. US Department of Energy: Oak Ridge. https://rais.ornl.gov/documents/tm186.pdf 

Course design

The course consists of the following learning activities:

  • Lectures, not compulsory but foundational and part of examination
  • 2 compulsory exercises
  • 2 compulsory seminars
  • Written exam

Changes made since the last occasion

This is the third time the course is given. The course is a re-make of a previous course called Environmental risk assessment in engineering (BOM060). The second seminar has been reworked since last time. The lecture on exposure assessment has also been redeveloped towards more advanced levels.

Learning objectives 

  1. Explain the concept of risk according to the following definitions and perspectives:
    a. risk as function of the combination of probability and consequence
    b. risk ratios
    c. risk perception
    d. the relational theory of risk
    e. existential risks 
  2. Describe a number of important historical and contemporary environmental risks
  3. Construct conceptual models in risks analysis by applying the following terminology:
    a. source
    b. stressor
    c. pathways 
    d. endpoint/receptor
  4. Describe and apply the following methods for environmental risk assessment:
    a. risk ranking
    b. probabilistic risk assessment using fault trees
    c. risk assessment of chemicals, including exposure assessment, effect assessment and risk characterization
  5. Apply the following uncertainty analysis methods:
    a. scenario analysis
    b. Monte Carlo simulation
  6. c. weight of evidence  

Examination form

An exam covering the course literature, lectures, seminars and exercises. The maximum points possible on the written exam is 50. Fail is given for <25 points, 3 is given for 25-35 points, 4 is given for 36-45 points and 5 is given for >45 points.