Environmental Exposure Assessment

Graduate / Professional

Individuals are exposed to a multitude of chemical and physical environmental agents as they move through various microenvironments carrying out their daily activities. Accurate environmental and occupational exposure data are critical for (1) tracking changes in exposures over time, (2) investigating links with adverse health outcomes in epidemiologic analyses, (3) conducting risk assessments, and (4) comparing against regulatory standards. However, quantitative exposure data are difficult to collect, and often surrogate measures are used. This course focuses on providing tools to evaluate air, water, and physical stressors encountered in the indoor, outdoor, and occupational environment. Indirect and direct methods of assessing exposures in environmental and occupational settings are reviewed. Criteria for evaluating the quality of an exposure assessment and exposure data are discussed. The course covers the design of exposure assessment strategies for research and public health practice, the techniques and methods for sampling and analysis, and the interpretation of data. In addition, it incorporates aspects of inequities in environmental exposures (environmental justice). The class consists of lectures, discussions of readings and exposure data, and hands-on exposure monitoring. Open only to students enrolled in the Executive Online M.P.H. Program. Not open to auditors. T 8pm-9pm