EA30810 - WATER QUALITY AND HEALTH

Module Identifier	EA30810
Module Title	WATER QUALITY AND HEALTH
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Professor David Kay
Semester	Semester 2
Course delivery	Lecture	15 Hours
	Seminars / Tutorials	5 Hours 5 Hours of Simulated Public Enquiry
Assessment	Course work	Proof of evidence and presentational materials for public enquiry and individual summary report, approximately 2,500 word equivalent.	25%
	Exam	2 Hours 2 hour written examination.	75%
	Resit assessment	Resit examinations: 2 hour written examination 75%, In-course assessment marks to be carried forward.

Module Outline (Lecture Themes)

Approaches to environmental epidemiology

Retrospective/ Prospective/ Case-control/ Randomised designs.

Water Quality Indicators and Health

Recreational Water - Historical Assessment.

PHLS and USEPA studies

Recreational water: The UK Research Programme 1999-1994

Disease Burden and 'Health Gain' Assessment

Health-related 'standards' design, the 'Jersey' and WHO standards

Potential A Priori approaches to management

Catchment control and bacterial delivery

What are the health implications?

Water Quality Indicators and Health

Drinking Water Regulation WHO/EU/UK

Issues in drinking water quality

Bottled Waters

Private Water Supplies

Copper in Drinking Water

Water and Health

'Cryptosporidiosis'

Public Supplies

Regulation of drinking water quality in the UK

Outbreaks of water-borne disease

The role of the DWI

Public enquiry sessions

Module Aims

To introduce students to the Scientific investigation of the interaction between water quality and health of the exposed population. This introductory module seeks to provide students with a grounding in how environmental factors affect public health. It commences with an introduction to the available epidemiological methods and approaches which have been used to define the linkage between environmental contamination and its public health impacts. A series of case studies are then examined to illustrate the strength of this linkage and its scientific foundations.

Module objectives / Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:-

make a rational scientific judgement on the potential health impacts of water pollution though rigorous evaluation of the quality of research information in this area and a competent understanding of the main epidemiological approaches which have been used to investigate these interactions

they will understand the principal regulatory systems in the UK for water quality maintenance through contact with regulators, practitioners and academic researchers

apply skills of case preparation and presentation through a simulated public enquiry chaired by a Principal inspector of the Drinking Waters Inspectorate.