GCH5110 · Designing safer chemicals

Overview

This unit will provide you with an understanding of important concepts related to the design of safer chemicals and chemical formulations. The content will cover principles of occupational and environmental toxicology, including uptake, distribution, metabolic conversion, and elimination of toxic agents. In addition to toxicological properties, other physicochemical properties related to safety in the applications of chemical classes will be evaluated. Consideration of specific features of chemical compounds and chemical classes that relate to their metabolic and environmental toxicity (water, soil and air) and safety will be discussed, enabling understanding of design features that will generate inherently safer green chemicals. This unit will also introduce Life cycle analysis principles with respect to the origins and fate of chemicals, including applications in formulations. Case studies with examples will be introduced, that consider parameters that can be used to evaluate the safety of chemicals, international regulatory requirements and how to access and evaluate information on the safety of chemicals and chemical formulations.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Explain principles of metabolic and environmental toxicology and their association with the structure and reactivity of chemical compounds and chemical formulations;
2. Predict toxic responses of representatives from major classes of chemicals with respect to target organs and physiological processes in humans and mammals;
3. Use technical and analytical skills to quantify the level and effects of xenobiotics in the environment (air, water, soil, biota);
4. Apply basic Life Cycle Analysis principles to explain the origin and fate of chemicals entering the environment, including formulated products.
5. Design safer chemicals by applying functional understanding of toxicological and green chemistry principles.
6. Evaluate resources and communicate scientific information on the safety of chemicals from peer-reviewed sources to different audiences and be aware of international regulatory requirements for chemical safety.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit will have a minimum of 3 hours of scheduled activities per week, including a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.