Advanced Toxicology

Assume the role of an environmental safety expert who is presenting to a group of undergraduate college students about the application of toxicology in the field of environmental health and safety. Your presentation should address the following key points. 

• Explain how dose-response data are utilized for risk assessment. 
• Discuss the relationship between risk assessment and risk management. 
• Identify and explain how at least three fields of toxicology contribute to areas of environmental safety and health. 
• Research and discuss one current event (within the last six to eight months) that exemplified the relationship between toxicology and environmental safety and health. 

The assignment should be completed as a PowerPoint presentation and should meet the following requirements: 

1. The length should be at least eight slides, not including your title and reference slides.
2. Key points only should be entered on slides. Full paragraphs should not be included on presentation slides.
3. Voiceover or speaker notes should be included for details of the discussion. This should not be an exact replica of the slide information but an expansion of information to fill in the blanks and provide additional details to the audience.
4. Include least three visual aids and/or graphics.
5. A minimum of three credible sources should be used for this assignment, and the references should be properly cited in a reference list at the end of the PowerPoint. The CSU Online Library is a great place to find credible sources. If you need any assistance, we have a full staff of librarians available to help you get started with research. If you need any assistance creating your PowerPoint, click here for a Writing Center tutorial that covers best practices for creating effective PowerPoint presentations. All references and citations used must be in APA style.

MOS 5425, Advanced Toxicology 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Evaluate the relationship between toxicology and environmental safety and health.
1.1 Explain how dose-response data is utilized for risk assessment.
1.2 Discuss the relationship between risk assessment and risk management.
1.3 Identify fields of toxicology that contribute to environmental safety and health.

Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1
Unit Lesson
Chapters 1 and 22
PowerPoint Presentation

1.2
Unit Lesson
Chapters 1 and 22
PowerPoint Presentation

1.3
Unit Lesson
Chapter 22
PowerPoint Presentation

Reading Assignment

Chapter 1: General Principles of Toxicology, pp. 3-16

Chapter 22: Occupational and Environmental Health, pp. 411-423

Unit Lesson

Toxicology can simply be defined as the study of toxic substances. Toxic substances are not limited to
industry and manufacturing plants. Many people are exposed to toxic substances in their everyday lives in the
form of cleaning products, medications, or even poisonous plants and insects in the environment. Toxic
substances should not all be considered negatively as they can be useful in pest control as well as for
medicinal treatment of certain ailments or diseases. The purpose of toxicology is to identify toxic or hazardous
substances and to assess the toxicity of these substances under specific conditions of exposure (Roberts,
James, & Williams, 2015). There are numerous areas of specialization in toxicology that apply the two
previously mentioned purposes. These specialized areas fall under the scope of three principal areas:
descriptive toxicology, research/mechanistic toxicology, and applied toxicology (Roberts et al., 2015). The
textbook that is assigned to this course does a good job of introducing these areas to you. Please take some
time to read about each area. Toxicology deals with risk assessment, while environmental health and safety
deals with risk management. Once the risk assessment of a substance is completed, that information can be
utilized for risk management. In the area of environmental health and safety, knowing the parameters of
toxicity of a substance plays a major role in the manner in which we protect individuals and the environment
from the hazards of a substance as well as how we treat exposure to substances. I encourage you to explore
CSU’s library to learn more about this or any areas of interest that are mentioned in the textbook and/or
lessons to gain further knowledge on the subject matter throughout this course.

There are many fields of toxicology. With each discussion on the subdisciplines of toxicology that you read,
you may find a new area of toxicology to add to a growing list. The textbook mentions toxicology to include
areas in medicine, the food industry, agriculture, and the chemical industry. Analytical, clinical, and forensic
toxicology may be thought of in relation to healthcare, with analytical toxicology utilized to identify poisons in
the body, clinical toxicology offering treatments or antidotes for a particular toxin, and forensic toxicology most

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Toxicology and Environmental Safety and Health

MOS 5425, Advanced Toxicology 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

commonly considered in terms of examining a corpse or crime scene to identify chemicals that were the
cause of someone’s death.

The food industry utilizes toxicologists in determining the safety of food additives that are used in the mass
production of processed foods. Many references are made to environmental toxicologists in regard to
agriculture because it is important to monitor the effects of pesticides and various fertilizers that are utilized by
farmers to protect crops from insects and produce larger and more profitable harvests. The chemicals that are
frequent in the agricultural industry sometimes can be effective for the farmers’ intentions; however, they may
have a negative impact on the environment. This appears to be the case with the colony collapse of bees
(Stoddart, 2012).

We are exposed to chemicals every day. You should try to recall exactly how many chemicals you have come
in contact with in your normal routine just in one day. A few years ago, many toys that were manufactured
outside of the United States were recalled for lead paint on the toys (New York State Department of Health,
n.d.). Toxicologists are utilized in determining the safety of exposure to various chemicals and the levels of
exposure that are acceptable. As you can see, toxicologists play an important role in many subdisciplines of
the vast field of toxicology by determining what materials may be hazardous.

One of the purposes of toxicology that was previously mentioned was to identify hazardous substances. A
logical question to ask from that would be how can hazardous substances be identified? Toxicologists often
do research to develop and analyze dose-response curves that examine and compare the amount of
exposure to a chemical to the resulting effect of that exposure. This information helps to identify and
determine the level of toxicity of a substance. Dose-response experiments typically utilize animal testing to
determine the variety of effects that toxicity of a substance will cause at a variety of doses and durations.
The textbook provides a detailed discussion on dose-response. Under the list of suggested reading for this
unit, you will find a suggestion for a video that discusses interpretation of the dose-response curve for
further understanding on this concept. If you have any questions about the concept, take a look at the video
to assist in creating a big picture and helping with clarifying or bridging the gaps in understanding of dose-
response together.

The second purpose of toxicology that was previously mentioned was to assess the toxicity of substances
under specific conditions of exposure. The degree of toxicity of a substance may vary, depending on
numerous factors, the first being the dose and duration of exposure. How much exposure has the individual
had to the substance and for how long? Other factors that play a role in toxicity include the age, gender,
weight, and health status of an individual. Normal, healthy adults are usually more tolerant to toxicity than an
infant or elderly individual. Individuals who have a compromised health status usually are more susceptible to
toxicity than a healthy individual with no compromised functions in his or her body. Some drugs may
concentrate in the fat in the body, which would make women more susceptible to toxicity of certain fat-
soluble substances because they normally have a higher fat composition than men (Roberts et al., 2015). All
of the previous factors can alter the degree of toxicity of a substance in lab tests. The data collected from
toxicity tests performed in controlled lab tests can then be extrapolated to determine the toxicity of a
substance in humans.

Environmental health and safety serves the purpose of protecting the environment and individuals found
within the environment from the toxic effects of substances. Areas that include the prevention and risk
management of substances can include, but are not limited to, occupational health and safety, waste
management, and environmental protection. Imagine going to a job at a manufacturing plant that exposed you
to benzene on a routine basis, but you were unaware of benzene being a known carcinogen. In addition,
although the manufacturing plant had a safety policy that made you wear closed-toe shoes and a hard hat at
work, the manufacturing plant did not have any safety measures in place to protect you from skin contact or
inhalation of the benzene. It is very possible that depending on the level and duration of exposure, workers of
this manufacturing plant could develop cancer as a result of exposure to benzene. While safety measures
were taken to protect the workers from some work hazards, the risks posed from benzene exposure would
warrant other types of personal protective gear to prevent skin or inhalation exposure to benzene. Knowing
the toxicology of the substance would determine the risk management needed to avoid health concerns.

MOS 5425, Advanced Toxicology 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Chapter 22 of the textbook discusses occupational and environmental health. In reading the above scenario
in regard to exposure to benzene, a reader may think that situation would never happen because of current
safety codes and regulations. Take time to read Chapter 22, and you will find out about the history of
occupational health and perhaps recall and/or realize that safety codes did not always exist to protect workers
from occupational dangers. Unfortunately, there are also times when safety codes are not enforced or
followed correctly, and workers’ health is compromised. Your textbook discusses the three prevention goals of
occupational health providers as being prevention, identification, and treatment for risks of exposure to
hazardous substances (Roberts et al., 2015). Often, when we discuss the roles and obligations of safety and
health professionals, we also discuss the ethical issues involved. Health and safety professionals’ jobs are to
protect workers from health issues that can arise from exposure to hazardous substances. Chapter 22 also
discusses legal and ethical considerations in occupational and environmental health. This may be an
interesting topic to discuss and to share experiences in this area with classmates in the student break room.

References

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2013). Hierarchy of controls [Graphic]. Retrieved from

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hierarchy_of_Controls.PNG

New York State Department of Health. (n.d.). Lead in children’s toys: Questions and answers for parents.

Retrieved from http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/recalls/questions_and_answers.htm

Roberts, S. M., James, R. C., & Williams, P. L. (2015) Principles of toxicology: Environmental and industrial

applications (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Stoddart, C. (2012). The buzz about pesticides: Common pesticides affect bumblebees foraging. Nature.

Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/news/the-buzz-about-pesticides-1.11626

An illustration of the hierarchy of control in occupational and environmental health
(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2013)

MOS 5425, Advanced Toxicology 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Suggested Reading

In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s) below.

The following article analyzes toxicology risk evaluation and causation practices. It provides a fantastic
explanation of the differences in risk when conducting toxicological evaluation. When you open the hyperlink,
it brings up two article selections. Be sure to select the correct article.

Guzelian, P. S., Victoroff, M. S., Halmes, N. C., James, R. C., & Guzelian, C. P. (2005). Evidence-based

toxicology: A comprehensive framework for causation. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 24(4),161-
201. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c
olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/220867099?accountid=33337

The following video illustrates the relationship between hazard and risk in an easy-to-understand manner.
This is only one video in a series by the creator, so you may want to check out some of their other videos for
additional information on topics in this course. Click here for a transcript of the video.

Risk Bites. (2013, April 22). Risk, hazard, and making sense of dose and response [Video file]. Retrieved from

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Here are a few questions to consider as you complete this unit.

1. What are some basic terms used in toxicology? Are you familiar with the definitions of these terms?
2. Review the dose-response curves from the assigned reading. Are you able to interpret the graphs

and explain them?
3. What historical events shaped modern occupational and environmental health practices?
4. What are the activities and goals of occupational and environmental health specialists?

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docview/220867099?accountid=33337

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docview/220867099?accountid=33337

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-78787590_1