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Environmental Toxicology

Course #: ENVSCI 318

Description:
In this course we will explore chemical contaminants and their effects on the environment. Beginning with a brief introduction of toxicology and methods for measuring impacts, we will then investigate the major chemical contaminant classes including their chemical properties and methods for measuring them. The second part of the class will focus on mechanisms of toxicity including genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and endocrine disruption and will emphasize how impacts at the cellular and biochemical levels cascade up levels of biological organization resulting in population, community, and ecosystem effects. This course will also introduce ongoing challenges and priority areas in environmental toxicology including investigation of complex mixtures and how climate change impacts the distribution and impacts of chemical contaminants. This course will also focus on critical reading of scientific articles and how to conduct environmental risk assessments. I will use case studies and journal articles to illustrate important concepts including (1) linking molecular and cellular impacts to ecological effects, (2) identifying casual agents and (3) how biological data is collected and used in ecological risk assessment.

Pre Requisites: Pre-requisite: ENVSCI 120 and BIOL 111 or CHEM 115

Offered in:

2023 Fall