HCOL 195 - Geology's intersection with health: Interpreting scientific
evidence and how it impacts medical, policy, and legal cases
Course objectives:
Students will be able to apply basic principles
of mineralogy and geochemistry to address the distribution and transport of
minerals and contaminants in the environment.
Students will be able to assess the quality and
inherent uncertainty associated with quantitiative geologic, chemical, health,
and risk assessment data.
Students will be able to interpret scientific
evidence and properly apply it to arguments concerning regulatory policy and
law.
This course will discuss several topical areas illustrating
how geological processes can intersect human health problems, and the social,
political, and legal ramifications of those problems. We will focus on oil and gas use, asbestos
mineral dusts, and groundwater arsenic contamination as examples of processes
controlled by geological processes but which also importantly have effects on
human health. We will apply scientific
method to these problems, and practice scientific investigations on parts of
these problems. Readings will be
assigned regularly, for each reading students will be expected to turn in a
‘crib sheet’ with 1 page of notes based on the readings, including at least one
question based on the reading. There
will be additional reports based on class exercises where we will generate
scientific data to test particular hypotheses.
Each student will also prepare 2 papers during the course of the
semester, one in the style of a peer-reviewed scientific paper and one in the
style of a scientific news article.
Assignments/readings/presentations:
An introduction to the details of the scientific method: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/howscienceworks_01
there are 21 pages of material here, along with some side
stories, but I want you to get acquanted with how scienitific problems
are often put together and how they iteratively develop into
solutions...
Elizabeth Kolbert's New Yorker article:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/05/31/100531taco_talk_kolbert
Intro powerpoint on Petroleum Geology:
Powerpoint on drilling techniques
In-class exercise on oil deposits
Review paper on oil spll cleanup worker health effects
09-28-10 - Presentation - Introduction to Asbestos
09-30-10 - Toxicity of Mineral Dusts article
10-12-10 - Mineral analysis review
10-14-10 - Mineralogy of the VAG deposit article
10-14-10 - We will meet for class in Delehanty Hall, room 218.
Please bring any additional samples you want to look at using
polarized light microscopy or X-ray diffraction! Delehanty Hall
is on Trinity campus and is the building with the green slate facade
and giant chunks of granite in front... 218 is our microscope
room on the second floor.
Review of lung fiber retention and mesotheloima
10-26-2010 - Paper on geochemical modeling of biopersistence
10-28-2010 - Original VT Department of Health Report on environmental asbestosis/mesothelioma risk near VAG mine
note: additional info and the corrected version of this may be found at
the VT DOH website:
http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/asbestos/vagm-healthstudy.aspx
11-02-2010 - Paper on epidemiology of Vermont Granite workers in Barre, VT
11-09-10 - Instructions for your scientific review report to your senator on a new "Ban Asbestos" bill
Webpage with 2008 Ban Asbestos Bill summary
Webpage with Senate Ban Asbestos Bill
Supporting document: NIOSH roadmap for asbestos
Supporting document: NAS review of the NIOSH roadmap
EPA summary of current asbestos product bans, limitations
USGS summary of asbestos minerals, uses, mining
11-18-10 - Instructions for looking into the Libby trial case
Link to the website with info and blog postings from the Libby criminal trial case
Powerpoint presentation overview of legal proceedings
12-02-2010 - Overview of arsenic in groundwater of SE Asia - "world's largest case of mass poisoning"
movie link - Arsenic in New England
12-07-2010 - Overview of Arsenic Health Effects
12-09-2010 - Overview of Arsenic drinking water regulatory limits in developing nations
12-09-2010 - Final Writing Assignment: In 500 (±50) words (I recommend using microsoft word and the
word count tool to monitor this) state your position, in a ‘letter to the
editor’ blog, why Vermont should, or should not, change its drinking water
standard from 10ppb to 5 ppb. Use
specific data/info from references you have or find (bibliography at the end does
not count towards the word total) to support your position.