Chemistry International
Vol. 24, No. 1
January 2002
IUPAC
Projects
Educating Chemists
and the Public About Risk Assessment
IUPAC's
Chemistry and Human Health Division recently oversaw the production
of educational material that addresses a void much in need of filling.
Risk assessment involving chemical use is now mandatory in many countries,
and although much has been written about it, there is still no broad
agreement on best practices.
In particular, discussions about toxicology have not always been ground
in reliable science. In response to this situation, the group, led by
John Duffus, of the Edinburgh Centre for Toxicology, has published a
technical report and prepared educational resources in the form of a
visual presentation package.
> Essential
toxicology - an educational resource
|
What
is the chemical foundation of acid rain?
This illustration of the formation and distribution of acid precipitation
is part of a presentation on Environmental Toxicology that will
help educators to introduce air pollution as a problem in toxicology.
|
Risk
assessment involving chemical use is now mandatory in many countries,
and although much has been written about it, there is still no
broad agreement on best practices.
|
The technical
report, titled "Risk
Assessment for Occupational Exposure to Chemicals. A Review of Current
Methodology, " appears in Pure and Applied Chemistry, Vol.
73, No. 6 (2001). By examining the ways in which chemicals can pose
a threat in various workplace and environmental settings, the authors
offer strategies for monitoring and quantifying risk.
The presentation
consists of a series of Adobe Acrobat PDF files that can be used as
slides or handouts.
It is intended to provide educators with a resource for teaching and
learning the fundamentals of toxicology. As well, the presentation attempts
to explain fundamental ideas in toxicology clearly so that students
can understand the hazards and risks associated with chemicals.
The topics
covered range from fundamental principles of toxicology through environmental
toxicology and risk management to consideration of ethics. To complement
the units and help with self-guided study, a series of self-assessment
questions are provided.
This
educational material is the result of a collaborative project between
the former IUPAC Commission on Toxicology and the former Committee on
the Teaching of Chemistry. It follows the successful production of an
undergraduate level textbook, Fundamental
Toxicology for Chemists, published by the U.K. Royal Society
for Chemistry.
http://www.iupac.org/projects/1995/720_8_95.html