Course Description. This course presents the basics of toxicology, which includes: routes of entry into the body, bodily response mechanisms, acute and chronic health effects, and physiological responses of the body to various chemical classes. A brief introduction to industrial hygiene and the current methods of risk assessment and risk management are also presented. The course also introduces the concepts of exposure limits and control methods for reducing exposure. Emphasis is on those hazardous materials commonly associated with industrial operations and waste management. Formerly called Health Effects of Hazardous Materials.
Course Outline
- Introduction, Syllabus review, Harmful properties of chemicals
- Factors that influence toxicity
- Acute & chronic toxicity, Methods of study
- Bodily response to toxic chemicals,
- Mutagenesis, Reproductive toxicity
- Carcinogenesis
- Routes of exposure
- Survey of common toxins: Air contaminants, Toxic fibers and dusts, Solvents, Pesticides, Metals and Resins
- Exposure limits: RELs, PELs, IDLHs, and TLV-TWAs
- Clinical symptoms & treatment
- Industrial hygiene
- Risk assessment & risk management
- Risk communication
Course Objectives. Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:
- Identify the major categories of health effects from hazardous materials and the factors that influence toxicity
- Cite modes of exposure and routes of entry
- Critically analyze dose-response curves and draw conclusions from data
- Recapitulate the major modes of action and major target organs for certain categories of toxic substances
- Understand, in a general sense, the role of hazardous substances on mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and reproductive toxicity (teratogenesis)
- Evaluate exposure limits and select appropriate exposure control methods
- Understand risk evaluation and its applications
Text Books.
Alice M. Ottoboni, The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain Language Guide to Toxicology, Van Norstrand Press.
Harry Beaulieu and Diane Beaulieu, Toxicology, National Environmental Health Association.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
