Guideline Establishment and Environmental Standards

At the end of this course students will be able to: 1. define the concepts of environmental guidelines and standards; 2. discuss the processes of setting environmental standards; 3. mention the main targets of environmental standards; 4. explain the components of environmental standards; 5. explain the relationship between the law and environmental standards; and 6. give examples of organizations involved in setting environmental standards.

The concepts of guidelines and environmental standards. Relationship between guidelines and standards. The guideline value as the maximum permissible concentration that guarantees an acceptable health condition or environmental quality. Types of guidelines. Actors and organizations for the establishment of guidelines: International) panels of experts, Governmental organizations, World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations. Components of Environmental Standards: (a) application in near – ground level outdoor locations where a person might reasonably be expected to be exposed over the relevant average period; (b) protection of human health and the environment; (c) contribution to sustainable development. Main targets of environmental standards.: avoiding adverse health effects from high pollution levels, protecting the environment and contributing to sustainable development. The law and environmental standards: regulatory bodies, documents, consequences/penalties. Review of descriptive and basic inferential techniques in handling environmental data for policy making.