Environmental Toxicology
- Health Sciences
- 400 level
- 3 credit units
- 231 pages
- 22 units
This course provides a comprehensive overview of environmental toxicology, focusing on the harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms. It explores the basic concepts of chemical pathology and environmental toxicology, including toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics. The course covers the toxicology of various environmental toxicants and pollutants, such as pesticides, heavy metals, and radioactive materials. Students will learn about dose-response concepts, toxicity indices, and the application of toxicology in ensuring chemical safety and environmental health.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 200 hours
- Maths
- Basic
- Content
- Theoretical, case study
- Practical work
- No
- Assignments
- Tutor Marked Assignments
- Final Examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of EHS411, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
- UNIT 1 TOXICOLOGY OF PESTICIDESPage 84
- UNIT 2: OTHER ORGANIC TOXICANTSPage 96
- UNIT 3: TOXICOLOGY OF HEAVY METALSPage 110
- UNIT 4: TOXICOLOGY OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALSPage 119
- UNIT 5 TOXICOLOGY OF FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTSPage 132
- UNIT 6 TOXICOLOGY OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND OTHER DRUGS IN THE ENVIRONMENTPage 142
- UNIT 1 BASIC CONCEPTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTIONPage 149
- UNIT 2: AIR POLLUTANTS: CONCEPTS, EXPOSURE PATHWAYS, EFFECTS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGYPage 159
- UNIT 3 WATER POLLUTANTS: CONCEPTS, EXPOSURE PATHWAYS, EFFECTS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGYPage 175
- UNIT 4: LAND POLLUTANTS: CONCEPTS, EXPOSURE PATHWAYS, EFFECTS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGYPage 184
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
EHS411 · UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY
In order to determine the causes of diseases, medical experts used the most common and widely accepted assumptions or symptoms of their times. This is true for those in the past and today (King, 1991 and Machevsky, 2004).
What you should be able to do
- Define and explain the basic concepts of chemical pathology and environmental toxicology.
- State the applications of chemical pathology and environmental toxicology.
- Explain how toxicants have effect on the body.
- Explain how the human body interacts with the toxicants exposed to it.
- Identify and classify environmental toxicants and pollutants.
- Explain the dose-response concept and the basic concept of pharmaco-environmentology.
- Evaluate the toxicity of known and unknown substances found in the environment.
What it prepares you for
- Environmental Health Officer
- Toxicologist
- Chemical Safety Officer
- Environmental Consultant
- Public Health Inspector
- Environmental Protection Agencies
- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Food and Beverage Industry
- Agricultural Sector
- Waste Management Facilities
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 1: Toxicology of Pesticides
Pesticide toxicology requires understanding of various chemical classes and their specific mechanisms of action, demanding strong memorization and analytical skills.
- Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 3: Toxicology of Heavy Metals
Heavy metals toxicology involves complex interactions with biological systems and requires knowledge of biochemistry and physiology.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 42 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1Module 1: Introduction to Chemical Pathology and Environmental Toxicology
Unit 1: Introduction to Chemical Pathology · 1.5 hours
Read the introduction to chemical pathology.. Define key terms like pathology, chemical pathology, disease, and aetiology.. Summarize the evolution of chemical pathology.. List and describe three techniques used in chemical pathology..
Unit 2: Introduction to Environmental Toxicology · 1.5 hours
Define basic toxicological terms.. Trace the historical development of environmental toxicology.. Identify the divisions of toxicology..
- Week 2Module 1: Introduction to Chemical Pathology and Environmental Toxicology
Unit 3: Practice of Chemical Pathology and Environmental Toxicology · 3 hours
Explain the functions of a chemical pathologist.. Explain the functions of an environmental toxicologist.. Describe basic techniques applied in the fields of chemical pathology and environmental toxicology..
- Week 3Module 2: Basic Concepts in Toxicant- Body Interactions
Unit 1: Basic Concepts in Toxicodynamics · 3 hours
Explain the concentration–response concept.. Explain the concentration-effect relationships.. Identify factors that can influence the effects of toxicants.. Explain the general mechanisms of action of toxicants.. State the phases of toxicological studies..
- Week 4Module 2: Basic Concepts in Toxicant- Body Interactions
Unit 2: Basic Concepts in Toxicokinetics · 3 hours
Explain the basic concept in toxicokinetics.. Identify the processes involved in the mechanisms of toxicokinetics.. Explain the processes that determine the fate of a poison in the body..
- Week 5Module 2: Basic Concepts in Toxicant- Body Interactions
Unit 3: Meaning and Classification of Environmental Toxicants · 3 hours
Explain the meaning of toxicant.. Classify toxicants based on different criteria, including source, use, and public health importance..
- Week 6Module 2: Basic Concepts in Toxicant- Body Interactions
Unit 4: Toxicity of Environmental Toxicants · 3 hours
Explain the term 'toxicity'.. Outline possible outcomes of exposure to environmental substances.. Enumerate factors that can modify the known effects of a toxicant on an individual.. Explain the mechanisms of substance interactions..
- Week 7Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 1: Toxicology of Pesticides · 3 hours
Define pesticides.. Outline the uses of pesticides.. Classify pesticides with examples.. Explain the basic toxicology of pesticides..
- Week 8Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 2: Other Organic Toxicants · 3 hours
Identify other non-pesticide, non-pharmaceutical organic toxicants.. State the toxicological implication of these toxicants..
- Week 9Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 3: Toxicology of Heavy Metals · 3 hours
Explain what a heavy metal is.. Give a historical and public health importance of heavy metals.. Give sources and examples of heavy metals.. Explain the toxicity of the metals..
- Week 10Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 4: Toxicology of Radioactive Materials · 3 hours
Define radiation, radioactivity and radioactive material.. Identify the types of radiation.. State the importance of radiation.. Explain the basic toxicology of radiation.. Explain how to control radiation toxicity..
- Week 11Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 5: Toxicology of Food Additives and Contaminants · 3 hours
Define a food additive.. Classify and identify a food additive.. State the uses of food additive.. Explain the toxicological importance of food additives.. Define food contaminants.. Classify food contaminants..
- Week 12Module 3: Basic Toxicology of Environmental Toxicants
Unit 6: Toxicology of Pharmaceuticals and other Drugs in the Environment · 3 hours
Define pharmaceuticals.. Explain what is Environmental Pharmaceutical Persistent Pollutant (EPPP).. Identify how illicit drugs can pose environmental problems.. Define pharmacoenvironmentology..
- Week 13Module 5: Basic Toxicity Indices and Applications
Unit 1: Dose-Response Concept · 3 hours
State the meaning of dose.. Explain the dose-response relationship.. Estimate effect from known a dose.. Explain the principle of probit analysis.. State two uses of probit analysis..
Unit 2: Concept of Lethal Dose (or Concentration) · 3 hours
What is lethal dose?. What is lethal concentration?. Explain how to determine lethal dose of a substance.. List four other measures of toxicity and lethality..
Preparing for the exam
- Review all basic concepts and definitions in chemical pathology and environmental toxicology (Modules 1 and 2).
- Create detailed notes on the toxicology of specific environmental toxicants and pollutants (Module 3), focusing on their sources, pathways, and health effects.
- Practice dose-response calculations and probit analysis problems (Module 5) to ensure proficiency in quantitative toxicology.
- Focus on understanding the mechanisms of action of toxicants and pollutants, including toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics (Modules 2 and 3).
- Prepare summaries of key case studies and examples discussed throughout the course to illustrate the application of toxicology in real-world scenarios.
- Review all Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) and self-assessment exercises to identify areas needing further study.
- Create concept maps linking environmental pollutants to their specific health effects and regulatory guidelines.
- Practice applying toxicology principles to hypothetical scenarios involving chemical exposures and environmental contamination.
Questions students ask about this course
What is EHS411 about?
This course provides a comprehensive overview of environmental toxicology, focusing on the harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms. It explores the basic concepts of chemical pathology and environmental toxicology, including toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics. The course covers the toxicology of various environmental toxicants and pollutants, such as pesticides, heavy metals, and radioactive materials. Students will learn about dose-response concepts, toxicity indices, and the application of toxicology in ensuring chemical safety and environmental health.
How many units does EHS411 have?
EHS411, Environmental Toxicology, has 22 units across 5 modules, over 231 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is EHS411?
EHS411 carries 3 credit units, at 400 level in Health Sciences.
Is EHS411 hard?
EHS411 is rated intermediate level, with basic mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical and case study work.
How long does EHS411 take to study?
About 200 hours of study, spread across its 22 units.
How is EHS411 assessed?
EHS411 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor Marked Assignments and Final Examination.
What can I do with EHS411?
Environmental Health Officer, Toxicologist, Chemical Safety Officer, Environmental Consultant and Public Health Inspector.