MPH1028

Toxicology 1 ( 6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL)

Leader: Professor B Priestly

Offered:
Not offered in 2005.

Synopsis: Principles of toxicokinetics, common types of adverse effects of substances & the typical tests used. Mechanisms of toxicity, dose-response relationships, patterns of organ toxicity, acute & chronic toxicity tests, no-observed-effect levels, extrapolation of animal results to humans, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicology, neurobehavioural toxicology, immunotoxicology, endocrine disruptors, toxicogenomics.

Objectives: On completion of this unit students should be able to: 1. Understand some basic mechanisms by which chemicals exert adverse effects on mammalian systems; 2. Understand the nature and utility of test regimens designed to characterise chemical toxicity and be able to interpret the results of such tests; 3. Critically evaluate the extent to which toxicity testing data can be extrapolated to humans; 4. Be able to use toxicity data from a variety of sources in health risk assessment; 5. Appreciate the gaps in current knowledge of chemical toxicity and the research needed to plug these gaps.

Assessment: 2 written Assignments (30%) + Short-answer examination (40%).