- Environmental Health: Course Home Page
- Module 1: Introduction to environmental health
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 1
- Chapter 1: Introduction: The environment at risk
- Converging paradigms for environmental health theory and practice
- Highs and lows of environmental health
- 10 facts on preventing disease through healthy environments
- The impact of the environment on health by country: a meta-synthesis
- Linkages between environmental and occupational health
- The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review
- Quiz: Module 1
- Discussion Question: How would you describe the linkages between occupational health and environmental health ?
- Discussion Question: What are two 'take-home' points you learned in this module?
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 1
- Module 2: Environmental hazards and their effects on human health and ecosystems
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 2
- Impact on human health
- Health effects of chemical exposure
- Knowns and unknowns on burden of disease due to chemicals: A systematic review
- Cancer-Causing Substances in the Environment
- Chapter Four: Quantifying selected major risks to health: Selected Occupational risks
- Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis
- Quiz: Module 2
- Discussion Question: Name and briefly describe at least two health outcomes related to environmental hazards
- Discussion Question: What does ecosystem change have to do with human health and well-being?
- Summary
- Trade Secrets: A Toxic Journey
- Coal minefires and human health: What do we know?
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 2
- Module 3: Principles of exposure assessment
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 3
- Human exposure assessment: An introduction
- Biomonitoring and biomarkers: Exposure assessment will never be the same
- Quiz: Module 3
- Discussion Question: Briefly describe some of the challenges to conducting an exposure assessment that you have learned in this module
- Discussion Question: How would you describe the importance of biomarkers to someone with little or no science background?
- Human exposure assessment: An Introduction
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 3
- Module 4: Toxicology and epidemiology in environmental health
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 4
- ToxTutor: Section 1: Introduction
- ToxTutor: Section 2: Dose and Dose Response
- Mechanisms of Toxicity
- A clash of old and new scientific concepts in toxicity, with important implications for public health
- Environmental Health Risk Assessment: Guidelines for assessing human health risks from environmental hazards
- Environmental Epidemiology: Challenges and Opportunities
- Toxic Substances Portal
- Quiz: Module 4
- Discussion Question: How would you explain this basic principle of toxicology to someone with no background in science?
- Discussion Question: How is environmental epidemiology similar to and different from epidemiology in other areas of public health?
- Discussion Question: What is the ecological fallacy and why is it important to understand this concept in environmental epidemiolgy?
- Glossary of Terms
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 4
- Module 5: Risk assessment: Concepts and application
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 5
- Hazard and risk
- Human Health Risk Assessment
- Human exposure assessment: An introduction
- WHO human health risk assessment toolkit: Chemical hazards
- Peer Activity: Letter to the editor (60 mins)
- Quiz: Module 5
- Ecological Risk Assessment
- Environmental Health Risk Assessment: Guidelines for assessing human health risks from environmental hazards
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 5
- Module 6: Risk management, communication, and regulation to protect human health and ecosystems
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 6
- Environmental health sciences decision making: Risk management, evidence, and ethics: Workshop summary
- Unit 6: Risk, Exposure, and Health // Section 9: The Precautionary Principle
- The precautionary principle: Protecting public health, the environment and the future of our children
- WHO Air quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide
- Environment fact sheet: REACH — a new chemicals policy for the EU
- Hazard Control
- A Practical Guide to Public Risk Communication: The five essentials of good practice
- Quiz: Module 6
- Discussion Question: Describe the precautionary principle and why it plays an important role in protecting public health.
- Discussion Question: Describe the factors that make certain sub-populatinos more susceptible to exposure and the health impacts of exposure?
- Discussion Question: What does 'epigenetics' mean ? Why is it important to understand as a public health professional?
- Ecosystems and human well-being: Health synthesis
- Chapter 43: Air and water pollution: Burden and strategies for control
- Guidelines for drinking-water quality: Introduction
- Communication about environmental health risks: A systematic review
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 6
- Module 7: Susceptibility, vulnerability and inequality in environmental health
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 7
- Children are not little adults
- Inheriting the world: The atlas of children's health and the environment
- DrugFacts: Genetics and epigenetics of addiction
- Epigenetics and the burden of noncommunicable disease: a paucity of research in Africa
- Epigenetics: The science of change
- Social and gender inequalities in environment and health
- Peer Activity: Create quiz questions
- Quiz: Module 7
- Children's environmental health -Training modules and instructions for health care providers
- Issues in health, environment and sustainable development: An overview
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 7
- Module 8: Case studies in environmental and occupational health
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 8
- Climate Change 101: climate science basics
- Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: History of atmospheric carbon dioxide from 800,000 years ago until January, 2016
- Human health impacts of climate change for New Zealand: Evidence summary
- Protecting health from climate change: Connecting science, policy and people
- Healthy places: Exploring the evidence
- Healthy Community Design Streaming Video
- Studying Health Outcomes in Farmworker Populations Exposed to Pesticides
- WHO Human health risk assessment toolkit: Chemical hazards
- Quiz: Module 8
- Discussion Question: In 100 words or less, describe your ideal healthy community.
- Discussion Question: What are the health impacts of pesticides in occupational settings in your region or country?
- Discussion Question: In your opinion, what is the most important environmental health issues at the global scale?
- The nine planetary boundaries
- Changing planet: Infectious diseases
- Atlas of health and climate
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 8
- Module 9: Emerging Perspectives for Environmental Health
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 9
- Tools for thoughtful action: The role of ecosystem approaches to health in enhancing public health
- Ecological public health
- The ecosystem approach to health is a promising strategy in international development: lessons from Japan and Laos
- The Ecology of Environmental Health
- Reshaping the food system for ecological public health
- Non-randomized controlled trial of the long-term efficacy of an Ecohealth intervention against Chagas disease in Yucatan, Mexico
- Quiz module 9
- Discussion Question: How is ecohealth different from other approaches to human health research?
- Discussion Question: What do you think about Lang and Rayners proposition that ecological public health is the 21st centurys big idea?
- Optional Peer Activity: Interview an Environmental Health Professional
- Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 9
- Course Evaluation
- Final Exam
- View all
Environmental Health
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Environmental Health: Course Home Page
This introductory course in Environmental Health is intended for undergraduate- and graduate-level students of medicine, environmental sciences or public health, and provides foundational theoretical and practical knowledge and skills. All components of this training (like all NextGenU.org trainings) are free, including registration, learning, testing, and a certificate of completion.
There are 9 modules to complete, providing a basic introduction to the study of environmental health, exposure assessment, toxicology, and risk management, among other topics. You’ll learn through online study, peer-to-peer activities, and optional local activities and discussion with an environmental health mentor that you or your institution identify.
There are practice quizzes in each module, and at the end of the course you’ll have a final exam, and a chance to give your assessment of this training. We will give you all the results of your assessments, such as your final exam and peer activities. We can report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) that you request. We hope this is a wonderful learning experience for you, and that your assessments will teach us how we can make it even better.
Select the “Next” button to begin Module 1: Introduction to environmental health.
This course was developed in partnership with the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This course is co-sponsored by: the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences, and the University of the Incarnate Word. Like all NextGenU courses, it is competency-based, using competencies from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region. This course uses learning resources from world-class academic and governmental organizations such as Harvard Medical School, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization. The course developer is Lindsay Galway, and our Advisory Group is: Ryan Allen, PhD; Kristian Dubrawski, PhD; Sylvia Struck, PhD; and Tim Takaro, MD, MPH, MSc
Module 1: Introduction to environmental health
Competencies covered in this module:
- Know and understand the significant elements and incidents in the history of environmental and occupational sciences
- Know and understand the scale and the trends of current health problems associated with major environmental contaminations
This module will act as a foundation for the rest of the course, providing you with an introduction to the field of environmental health. You will also learn about the history and evolution of environmental health, including how it is related to occupational health. Finally, to understand the importance of environmental health research and practice, you will explore the scale and trends of current health problems associated with major environmental hazards.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Identify the milestones of historical development in the field of environmental health
- Describe the importance and impact of environmental health issues on population health, and the burden of disease due to environmental factors
- Define critical environmental health terms
- Discuss the links between environmental and occupational health
- Give examples of major environmental disasters, and discuss their relevance to the field of environmental health in general
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 1
Required Readings
Read the entire chapter. This resource will define several terms commonly used in environmental health and introduce you to basic concepts. Be sure to read the information in the Figures, as well as the text.
Read the article. Please pay particular attention to the section entitled “Environmental Health” which details the history of theory and practice in environmental health.
Read the timeline of significant environmental health events on page 48. Are you surprised by how far in the past the timeline reaches?
Read the introductory paragraph and scan through the 10 facts by clicking on the arrow on the image.
This meta-synthesis focuses on the example of Brazil, but you can follow the links to read more about the environmental burden of disease in your country as well. If necessary, re-read the Methods section to fully understand how burden of disease is measured.
Read the entire chapter. Be sure you understand how environmental and occupational health are often inextricably linked – there is a helpful summary at the end of the chapter.
Read this journal article for an overview of the methyl isocyanate gas leak in Bhopal, India in 1984. Think about what the author means when he says that the disaster has been both ‘ignored and heeded.’
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
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Module 2: Environmental hazards and their effects on human health and ecosystems
Competency covered in this module:
- Describe the direct and indirect human, ecological, and safety effects of major environmental and occupational agents
Module 2 will provide an overview of direct and indirect environmental and occupational hazards and their potential effects on human health and ecosystems. You will learn about important environmental hazards at various scales (from local to global), and in both the developed and developing world. Understanding environmental and occupational hazards and their potential health impacts is a first step towards protecting human health and well-being at the population level.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Describe different types of exposures (i.e., acute vs. chronic)
- Identify hazardous chemicals in our daily lives and give examples of health effects related to exposure to these chemicals
- Give examples of health hazards in the occupational setting
- Discuss possible consequences of ecosystem change for human health and well-being
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 2
Required Readings
Read the document. This resource is a brief introduction to the human health effects of environmental hazards.
Read the report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. This report will highlight health effects of selected chemicals on systems of the human body.
Read the journal article. This resource answers the following question: 'Which fraction of the current disease burden do chemicals cause, and which are the chemicals of greatest concern?' It is aimed at providing policy makers with the knowledge needed to set health protection priorities.
Read the introductory page. Then, peruse the list of carcinogens by clicking on the links. This resource presents substances in the environment that are known to cause or suspected of causing cancer in humans.
Read the section entitled 'Selected Occupational Risks' on pages 73-77. This resource provides a brief overview of important hazards in the work setting. As you read this resource, keep in mind what you learned about the links between environmental health and occupational health in Module 1.
Read Key Question No. 4 titled "4. What are the most critical factors causing ecosystem changes?" (pages 64-70) and Key Question No. 5 titled "How might ecosystems and their services change in the future under various plausible scenarios?" (page 71-83) to learn specifically about intervention options in response to ecosystem change.
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Read the summary to learn more about the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment approach.
Watch the flash video to learn how PCBs move across the globe.
Read the entire article.
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Module 3: Principles of exposure assessment
Competency covered in this module:
- Know and understand the principles of exposure assessment to major environmental contaminations, current methods and tools
In module 3, you will be introduced to the principles of exposure assessment. Exposure assessment is an important tool in the environmental health toolbox. It also plays an important role in the risk assessment process that you will learn about in module 5. Upon completion of this module, you should be familiar with current methods and tools relevant to exposure assessment, as well as their limitations. You will also be introduced to new and exciting developments in exposure assessment, and the direction in which this field of study is headed.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Define and describe the difference between exposure and dose
- Demonstrate an understanding of key characteristics of exposure and exposure pathways
- Demonstrate an understanding of exposure assessment strategies used in environmental and occupational health
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of various exposure assessment methods and tools
- Define basic exposure assessment terms and concepts
- Describe the role of biomarkers in exposure assessment as well as the benefits and limitations of using biomarkers
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 3
Required Readings
Read pages 1-37 and 51-87 from the book entitled Human exposure assessment: An introduction. This resource from the World Health Organization will provide you with an understanding of the role of exposure assesment in environmental health as well as details about doing exposure assessments.
Read this journal article about biomonitoring and biomarkers. Pay close attention to the benefits and challenges of biomonitoring.
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Read pages 87-94 for more information on the media commonly used in biological monitoring.
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Module 4: Toxicology and epidemiology in environmental health
Competencies covered in this module:
- Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a toxic response to various environmental exposures
- Know and understand the basic limitations of toxicology and of assessment measures for environmental pollutions, and how they affect assessment outcomes
- Know and understand the specific design of epidemiologic studies in environmental health
In this module, you will become familiar with the basic principles and practices of toxicology and epidemiology in the context of environmental health science. Both toxicology and epidemiology are fundamental to the overall field of environmental health and are important aspects of the risk assessment process. You will learn toxicological concepts and be introduced to the tools available to examine and understand the mechanism of toxicity to various environmental exposures. You will also encounter epidemiological study designs relevant for environmental health research and practice.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Describe the role of toxicology in environmental and occupational health
- Explain how toxicity is assessed, and define important toxicological concepts (i.e., dose-response, LD 50, etc.)
- Demonstrate a general understanding of mechanisms of toxicity
- Discuss the limitations of toxicological methods and the implications of these limitations for public health
- Find accurate and reliable information about the toxicity of agents
- Describe the most common study designs in environmental epidemiology
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 4
Required Readings
Read the content of the two links titled “What is toxicology” and “Basic Terminology”
Read the content of the five links titled “Dose and its impact on toxicity”, “The dose-response relationship”, “Dose estimates of toxic effects”, “Determining the safety of drugs”, and “The highest dose without an observed effect and the lowest dose with an observed effect". Answer the review questions.
Read the section titled "Introduction and Concepts" to learn about the mechanisms of toxicity.
Read the journal article.
Scroll down to chapter 10 titled "Use of epidemiological data" and read sections 10.1-10.6. Pay attention to relative strengths and weaknesses of epidemiology and toxicology in the context of risk assessment.
Read the article. After completing the article, ask yourself the following question: how are the challenges and opportunitites of environmental epidemiology different from challenges and opportunitites of social epidemiology?
Click on the links titled "Acetone", "Chlorine", and "Carbon Tetrachloride" and read the content of those web pages. Explore the rest of this website to learn more about specific toxicants that interest you (optional reading).
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Browse this glossary from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to assess your knowledge of important terms.
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Module 5: Risk assessment: Concepts and application
Competency covered in this module:
- Specify current environmental risk assessment methods
Module 5 will present the major concepts and applications of human health and ecological risk assessment. You will not only become familiar with the steps involved in conducting a risk assessment, but you will also learn why this process plays such an important role in environmental health research and practice. You will encounter two risk assessment case studies; these will strengthen your overall knowledge and understanding of the risk assessment process. By the end of the module, you should be able to specify current risk assessment methods, and understand the strengths and weaknesses in the risk assessment process.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Define and understand the concept of risk and how it differs from hazard
- Describe the steps involved in performing a risk assessment
- Explain how human health risk assessments are used in public health
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 5
Required Readings
Read the first three sections on this website to ensure that you understand the difference between hazard and risk.
Read the content of this web page as well as the content under the tab “Children & Risk Assessment”. Then click on the link titled “Conducting a Human Health Risk Assessment” found on the left side of the web page. Then, read the content of web page as well as the content of each of the tabs (stages 1-4) titled “Hazard Identification”, “Dose-Response”, “Exposure Assessment”, and “Risk Characterization”.
Read pages 44-48. This resource from the World Health Organization provides a succinct summary of risk assessment and risk management.
Read the Drinking water Case-Study (pages 46-57).
Required Learning Activity
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Read the content of this web page as well as the content under the tab “Application”. Then click on the link titled “Conducting an Ecological Risk Assessment” found on the left side of the web page. Then, read the content of web page as well as the content of each of the tabs (phases 1-3) titled “Problem Formation”, “Analysis”, and “Risk Characterization”. As you read through this resource, note the similarities and differences between ecological and human health risk assessment processes.
Explore the rest of this document (part of chapter 5 was read in Module 4) if you want to learn more about human health and ecological risk assessment.
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Module 6: Risk management, communication, and regulation to protect human health and ecosystems
Competencies covered in this module:
- Discuss various risk management and risk communication approaches in relation to issues of environmental justice and equity
- Specify approaches for assessing, preventing, and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
- Describe regulatory programs, guidelines, and authorities that control environmental (and occupational) health issues
In module 6, you will be introduced to risk management and risk communication. You will gain an understanding of key elements to consider when communicating with the public about risk, issues in environmental health decision-making, and the role of the precautionary principle in risk management. You will also encounter examples of regulatory programs as well as approaches for preventing and controlling environmental and occupational hazards and risks.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of key elements in risk communication for environmental health hazards
- Identify possible strategies for preventing and controlling environmental and occupational health hazards
- Explain the meaning of the precautionary principle and its role in environmental health management, regulation, and decision-making
- Outline air quality guidelines and standards, and give examples of those authorities responsible for regulating environmental health hazards
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 6
Required Readings
Click on the link "Read Online". Then, read chapter 1 "Approaches to Decision Making" (pages 9-19) and chapter 2 "Scientific Issues in Environmental Health Decision Making" (pages 21-33). This book is the result of a workshop on environmental health sciences decision making convened to examine emerging issues in risk management.
In recent years, the risk assessment and risk management framework for standard setting and regulation has been criticized. One possible response is to 'overlay' a precautionary approach on the risk management and policy-making process. Read this webpage as a brief introduction to the precautionary principle.
Read chapter 5. This resource will further your knowledge about the role of the precautionary principle in environmental health decision-making and policy-making.
Read this report produced by WHO to guide the development of national air quality standards.
Read the fact sheet which briefly describes a European regulatory program initiated in 2006. The REACH regulation places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the substances.
Read the web page from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety to learn about workplace hazard control programs.
Read the report to learn about the essentials of effective risk communication.
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Read sections 4 and 5 from the Millenium Ecosystem Assesment health synthesis report to learn speciffically about intervention options in response to ecosystem change.
Read from the beginning of the section titled “Interventions” to the beginning of the section titled “Research and Development Agenda” to learn more about possible interventions to reduce water and air pollution.
Read the introduction section of the WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality. As you read this resource, keep in mind what you have learned about exposure assesment, toxicology, and risk assessment in the previous modules. All of these aspects play an important role in establishing guidelines aimed at protecting public health.
Read the journal article (for those students wanting a better understanding of risk communication).
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Module 7: Susceptibility, vulnerability and inequality in environmental health
Competencies covered in this module:
- Describe genetic, physiological and psychosocial factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following exposure to environmental hazards
- Know and understand gene-environment interactions
- Assessment of social inequalities of environmental hazards
The field of public health is particularly concerned with susceptibility, vulnerability, and inequality. In module 7, you will be introduced to these issues in relation to environmental hazards, exposures, and health outcomes. You will examine susceptible sub-populations (such as children), as well as vulnerability factors (such as socio-economic status). By the end of this module, you will have a basic understanding of inequalities in environmental health, and of what can be done to address these inequalities.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module students should be able to:
- Identify and explain factors that make children particularly susceptible to environmental hazards
- Explain how and why environmental hazards and their related health effects vary across countries, regions, or groups
- Explain how gender, age, and socio-economic status can influence susceptibility to environmental hazards
- Describe the importance of gene-environment interactions and epigenetics
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 7
Required Readings
Read the powerpoint slides and accompanying notes.
Examine maps number 3 (Traditional Hazards, New Risks), 4 (Water for All: Making it Happen), 5 (Hurry Up in the Toilet: 2.4 Billion are Waiting), 9 (Indoor Smoke: Breaking Down Respiratory Defences), 14 (Lead: IQ Alert), and 19 (Enjoying the Sun Safely). To help exlain map 14, ensure you examine "WHO Sub-Regions" found on page 49. Then, explore at least 4 additional maps that interest you. Do you notice any trends across the four maps that you have explored?
Read the article to understand the importance of gene-environment interactions. If you need a refresher on genetics in general, refer to this website from the US National Institutes of Health https://history.nih.gov/exhibits/genetics/sect1a.htm
Read the article to understand the importance of gene-environment interactions.
Read the journal article explaining epigenetics. Be sure you are able to briefly describe epigenetics and why it is important after reading this resource.
Read the policy brief. This resource should help you to identify links between social determinants of health and ecological determinants of health.
Required Learning Activities
Choose any three learning objects from the entire course. Create one multiple choice question for each of the three learning objects. Please create a table with the following columns to keep your information organized:
Module/Competency Question Source Quote Source URL Related Online Course Here, insert the name of the module/ competency.For example:Module 2, Competency 2.1Here, type your question with the stem and response choices, and highlight or underline the correct answer Here, copy and paste the original source quote supporting and identifying the correct answer to the question Here, copy and paste the link to the learning object Here, insert the name of the original learning object
Click here to generate assignment file.You do not need to complete this activity before you move on to the next module. Please feel free to continue into the next learning resources and begin studying them, as we recognize that some peer reviewers may take longer than others (but please remember in your peer reviewer role, that there are people waiting for you!). You will need to have completed all peer and mentored activities before NextGenU and our partners (International Society of Doctors for the Environment, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences) can give you a certificate for this course.
We estimate that this exercise should take you approximately 1-2 hours. Please let us know HERE afterwards how long it actually took you so we may refine this estimate.
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Select and read additional training modules of interest. Read the powerpoint slides and accompanying notes for these additional training modules.
Read chapter 1 to learn more about the links between health, the environment, and sustainable development.
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Module 8: Case studies in environmental and occupational health
Competencies covered in this module:
- Assess, evaluate, and remediate environmental exposures and environmental health issues (Develop a testable model of environmental insult)
- Global Scale: Global climate change and human health and well-being
- Assess, evaluate, and remediate environmental exposures and environmental health issues (Develop a testable model of environmental insult)
- Regional Scale: Built Environment and healthy communities
- Assess, evaluate, and remediate environmental exposures and environmental health issues (Develop a testable model of environmental insult)
- Local Scale: Pesticides in occupational settings
This module will bring together many of the ideas, concepts, tools, and approaches that you have learned throughout the course. You should now be able to assess, evaluate, and remediate environmental exposures and issues effectively. You will be given the opportunity to demonstrate this ability in a final activity looking at an environmental health issue in depth at one of the local, regional, or global scales.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Find, evaluate and synthesize relevant information about an environmental health issue, and identify possible strategies to address the issue
- Explain the causes of climate change
- Outline evidence of climate change and the evidence indicating that climate change is induced by human activities
- Describe the impacts of climate on ecosystems and health
- Define and explain concepts related to climate change (vulnerability , adaptation, mitigation etc.)
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 8
Required Readings
Global scale: Climate change and human health and well-being
Read the entire fact sheet to learn about the basics of climate change.
Watch the animation to see the time history of atmospheric carbon dioxide from 800,000 years ago until 2016.
Read the paper. You will learn about the possible health impacts of climate change and variabilty.
Read the report. Focus your attention on the sections entitled 'Who is at risk?' and 'What can be done?'.
Regional scale: The built environment and healthy communities
Read the article.
Download the video. For slow connections, read the transcript.
Local scale: Pesticides in the occupational setting
Read the journal article.
Read the "Pesticide case-study."
Required Learning Activities
Required Quiz
Additional Learning Options
Read the web page to understand planetary boundaries and thresholds.
Watch this short video to learn more about the possible impacts of climate change on infectious diseases like Cholera and Dengue.
Download the full version of the atlas and explore the maps to learn more about the links between climate and health around the world.
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Module 9: Emerging Perspectives for Environmental Health
In module 9, you will be introduced to ecohealth and ecological public health. Both are emerging perspectives in public health and environmental health that focus on the connections between human and ecosystem health.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Describe the ecohealth and ecological public health perspectives
- Explain how ecohealth and ecological public health differ from a more traditional environmental health perspective
- Apply the ecohealth and ecological public health perspectives to environmental and /or public health issues
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Required readings, required activities and additional learning options for Module 9
Required Readings
Download the PDF version of the article and read the content.
Listen to the podcast. Pay attention to similarities between the ecological public health perspective described in this podcast and ecohealth.
Read the entire article to learn about the ecosystem approach to health.
Read the entire article.
Read the article. This resource is an example of applying an ecological public health perspective to food policy.
Read the article.
Required Quiz
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Course Evaluation
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Final Exam
The final exam consists of 50 multiple choice questions. It is timed. You will have 70 minutes to complete the exam. If you are taking the course for a final certificate, you must record yourself while taking the exam.
The final exam is password protected. When you are ready to take the final exam send an email message to techsupport@nextgenu.org
The final exam consists of 50 multiple choice questions. It is timed. You will have 70 minutes to complete the exam. You must pass the peer activities before you can attempt the exam.
The final exam is password protected. When you are ready to take the final exam send an email message to techsupport@nextgenu.org
Click next to continue
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