====== International Training Course on Environmental and Health Risk Assessment and Management of Toxic Chemicals ====== ==== Course Description ==== This course, which is an integration of science and policy, covers the fundamental basis of the environmental impact assessment, the risk assessment and management process which starts from identification of hazard, assessment methods, the mode of action and human relevance framework, the inherent uncertainties in each step and the relationship between risk assessment and risk management, and the need for open, transparent and participatory acceptance procedures and credible communication methods. Emphasis will be placed on potential adverse health effects of human exposure to environmental hazards. The course also teaches the practical application of risk assessment methods to various problems. The application of environmental impact assessment procedures of identifying and assessing risk is also covered in the course. === Course Coordinator: === //Khunying// Mathuros Ruchirawat (Ph.D.)\\ === Date: === 6 - 18 December 2009\\ === Place: === Room 606, 6th Floor, Service Building, Chulabhorn Research Institute ==== Summary ==== The International Training Course on Environmental and Health Risk Assessment and Management of Toxic Chemicals was held from 6-18 December 2009. The objective of this course is to provide basic scientific knowledge of the principles and concepts of risk assessment and the process involved and to illustrate how risk assessment is conducted by using case studies. This course content involves an integration of science and policy, introduces the basic scientific components of environmental and health risk assessment and describes the policy context in which decisions to manage environmental health risks are made. It covers the quantitative methods used to assess health risks associated with exposure to chemicals. The components of the risk assessment process are presented, starting with hazard identification, and then dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, characterization of risk and the uncertainties in each step. The course also presents the practical application of risk assessment methods to various problems, e.g., hazardous waste site release etc. The course was taught by 11 international lecturers from renowned educational institutes such as University of Aarhus, Denmark, University of Guelph, Canada and University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. On this course, there were 13 participants from 11 countries, namely Afghanistan,Chaina, Indonesia, Jordan, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philipines, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam supported by fellowships from TICA as well as 5 postgraduate students from the Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, 3 from Mahidol University, 2 from Chiang-mai University, 4 from the International University Program, and 3 international participants supported by fellowships from WHO/SEARO and EHRC. The course evaluation submitted by the participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with the content, the teaching, and the general organization of the course.