Environmental Toxicology

This course serves as an introduction to the principles and basic concepts of environmental toxicology. Toxicology is the study of the harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms. Dose-response relationships will be studied for various common chemicals and several parameters will be defined which can serve as indicators of the toxicity of a compound. An overview of the effects of toxic compounds on the human body will be given, along with specific examples and case studies. The effects of toxic agents on other living organisms in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems will also be addressed. Current issues such as trihalomethanes and endocrine disrupting compounds in drinking water will be discussed.