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Download the January
issue in pdf format.
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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

 

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