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SYLLABUSFOR

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGYBIOL 533

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

byJonathan E.H. Wilson, Ph. D.

Original, September, 2000(Modified 8, 2004)

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INTRODUCTION:

Environmental toxicology is a multidisciplinary science that is rapidly evolving. It is essentiallythe study of the effects of toxicants on man, animals and the environment. In this course, students will beintroduced to environmental toxicology with emphasis on the study of various toxicants, their chemical and

physical characteristics, their fate and effects, toxicity testing methods, and factors modifying toxicity of chemicals in organisms and the environment. Ecotoxicology, environmental health and risk assessment willbe introduced.

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of this course are as follows:

Introduce students to the rapidly evolving field of environmental toxicology. Provide students with a working knowledge of the principles, general concepts and techniques in the

field of environmental toxicology. Emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of environmental toxicology.

Introduce students to the different types of environmental toxicants and how they interact with thenatural environment , animals and man.

Prepare students for advanced studies in the field of environmental toxicology and chemistry.

TEXT BOOK :Introduction to Environmental Toxicology Impact of Chemicals upon Ecological Systems, 3rd edition byWayne G. Landis and Ming-Ho Yu. 2004. Lewis Publishers, Inc. (a CRC Press Company).

Supplemental Texts: Basic Environmental Toxicology, edited by L.G. Cockerham and B. S. Shane. 1994. C R C Press, Inc. Fundamentals of Aquatic Toxicology - Methods and Applications, edited by G. M. Rand and S. R.

Petrocelli, 1985, Hemisphere Publishing Company/ Taylor and Francis. Fundermentals of Aquatic Toxicology Effects, Environmental Fate, and Risk Assessment. 2 nd

Edition. G.M. Rand, Editor. 1995. Taylor & Francis, Washington DC.

Other References: Peterle, T.J., 1991. Wildlife Toxicology. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. Hoffman, D. J., B. A. Rattner, G. A. Burton, Jr., and J. Cairns, Jr. 1995. Handbook of Ecotoxicology.

Lewis Publishers. Burton, G. A. Jr., 1992. Sediment Toxicity Assessment. Lewis Publishers Inc. Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment - various volumes; published by American Society for

Testing and Materials (ASTM). See especially Volumes 3 - 7. ASTM 2000 Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 11.05. Biological Effects and Environmental

Fate; Biotechnology; Pesticides. Various Journal Articles from Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Risk Assessment, and

Environmental Pollution journals will be required. Details of these will be given at the beginning of class each semester.

Taylor, M.D., F.p. Carvalho, D. Barcelo and J. Everaarts. 2003. Pesticide Residues in Coastal TropicalEcosystems Distribution, Fate and Effects. Taylor & Francis, New York.

General and Applied Toxicology 2 nd edition. B. Ballantyne, T. Marrs and T. Syverson, Editors. Vols.1, 2, & 3. Groves Dictionaries Inc., 1999. New York.

MEETING TIMES : Tuesdays, 5:00 to 7:50 P.M.

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MEETING ROOM : Spencer Room 109ATTENDANCE : Students are expected to be present at ALL lectures, discussions, Laboratoryexercises, field trips and other activities related to this course. Unexcused absences will not be encouraged.Therefore make-up examinations/tests etc, will be given only in cases of extreme emergencies as defined inthe university manual and the Biology Departments Class attendance Policy.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Students will be given class work, home work, quizzes and examination periodically. Each student will berequired to write reviews of selected journal articles or extended abstracts together with a term paper andalso give an oral presentation of the research reported in the term paper. The essay MUST BE TYPED, beat least 10 pages long and contain no less than FOUR journal articles in the reference section and cited inthe text of the term paper. Details of the format for the term paper will be given at the beginning of class.The essay, abstracts and oral presentation are intended to help enhance the information management andcommunication skills of the students.

EVALUATION:

Every assignment, test, pop quiz, scheduled examination, homework, class participation, oral and writtenreports etc will count towards the final grade. Students are expected to take every assignment seriously.The following key will be used to determine the final grade:

Percentage Letter Grade

90 - 100 A

80 - 89 B

70 - 79 C

0 - 69 F

Breakdown of the final grade will be as follows:

1. Three (3) scheduled examinations (other than the final) 30%

2. Homework, pop quizzes, class participation etc. 20%

3. Laboratory/ field trip reports, term paper , oral presentation, review of journal articles,extended abstracts..20%

4. Final Examination 30%

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COURSE CONTENT

I. Introduction to Environmental Toxicology1. An interdisciplinary science2. A brief history of Environmental Toxicology and its Organizations3. Fundamentals of toxicology and environmental toxicology

II. A Framework for Environmental Toxicology1. Classical viewpoints in classifying toxicological effects : physicochemical characteristics,mode of action, biochemical and molecular effects, physiological and behavioral effects etc.

2. Alternative framework incorporating complexity theoryIII. Introduction to toxicity testing

1. The dose-response curve2. Standard methods - advantages and disadvantages3. Classification of toxicity tests4. Single species toxicity tests5. Multispecies toxicity tests6. Overview of statistical methods for evaluation of single species toxicity tests

IV. Aquatic and wildlife toxicology1. Daphnia 48H Acute toxicity test

2. Algae 96H Acute toxicity test3. Acute tests with other aquatic macroinvertebrates and invertebrates4. Terrestrial vertebrate toxicity test5. Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay (FETAX)6. Grass Shrimp Embryo-Larval Toxicity (GSELTOX) Test7. Standard Aquatic microcosm tests8. Other micro- and Mesocosm tests

V. Routes of Exposure and Modes of Action1. The damage process2. Atmospheric pollutants and plants3. Mechanism of action4. Common modes of action in detail5. Introduction to Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR)

VI. Factors Modifying Toxicity1. Physicochemical properties of pollutants2. Time and mode of exposure3. environmental factors4. Interaction of pollutants5. Toxicity of mixtures

VII. Toxicity of selected group of chemicals1. Toxicity of pesticides2. toxicity of metals3. Toxicity of petroleum and other Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)4. Toxicity of solvents5. Fluoride as Contaminant in Developing Economies

VIII. Biotransformation and biomagnification

1. Introduction to biotransformation and biomagnification2. Metabolism of environmental chemicals3. Microbial degradation4. Bioremediation

IX. Introduction to environmental health and risk assessment