Toxicology for the Non-Toxicologist

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Introduction to toxicology

• What is toxicology and why is it important?
• Risk, hazard and exposure – how these differ
• Dose response and dose-effect relationships & curves
• Internal and external/exposure dose
• NOAEL, LOAEL
• Thresholded and non thresholded effects

Basic toxicological terminology and concepts

• Cells, tissues, organs, organ systems
• Homeostasis
• Adaptation and cell injury
• Cellular responses to injury
• Adverse effects
• Local and systemic effects
• Acute and chronic toxicity

• Irritation and corrosion (skin, eyes, respiratory tract)

How chemicals cause harm -Systemic effects

• Target organ toxicity, reproductive and developmental effects, carcinogenicity, genetic toxicology, Skin and respiratory sensitisers (chemical allergies)

• Target organ toxicity, reproductive and developmental effects, carcinogenicity, genetic toxicology, Skin and respiratory sensitisers (chemical allergies),

Basic Toxicokinetics

• Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion
• How knowledge of toxicokinetics can help in understanding species differences in response to chemical exposure

• Alternative methods
• Acute toxicity testing
• Repeated dose toxicity testing
• Genetic toxicity studies
• Carcinogenicity studies
• Reproductive and developmental toxicity studies
• Sensitisation studies
• Common design of toxicity studies (control, replicates, etc)
• Limitations of toxicity testing