Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2024 - BISC 313 D100

Environmental Toxicology: A Mechanistic Perspective (3)

Class Number: 2645

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Mon, Wed, Fri, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 22, 2024
    Mon, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    BISC 101 and (BISC 204, or BISC 205, or GEOG 215, or MBB 231), both with a minimum grade of C-.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the environmental and biological fate of chemicals, their mechanisms of action, testing, evaluation, and risk assessment. Students are introduced to different classes of environmental contaminants, and examine how they affect various organisms (including humans) at the molecular, biochemical, organ system, and behavioural levels of biological organization.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course description:

This course serves as an introduction to the field of Environmental Toxicology.  General principles of toxicological action, testing, evaluation and assessment will be discussed.  The toxicological action and fate of several important classes of environmental pollutants in several organisms (including humans) will be examined at different levels of organization from the molecular and biochemical to the function of organ systems and behavior. 

Objectives of Course

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Describe the fate of foreign compounds in the environment and in a variety of different organisms and the general principles behind this fate.
  2. Explain some of the common biological mechanisms negatively impacted by environmental contaminants and give several examples of common environmental pollutants and their specific mechanisms of action.
  3. Recognize the variety of toxic impacts that environmental contaminants have on organisms and ecosystems.
  4. Evaluate data obtained from common toxicological tests; and
  5. Identify and discuss various issues related to toxicology, such as risk assessment.

Tentative Lecture Schedule:

The course is given in four sections: Part I: Introduction to Toxicological Principles, Part II: Toxicological Testing, Part III: Specific Toxicants and Mechanisms, and Part IV: Environmental Risk Assessment

Part I: Introduction to Toxicological Principles

Week 1 Introduction to and definition of toxicology. History of toxicology. Goals of the toxicologist. Different areas of toxicology.
Week 2 Introduction to toxicokinetic phases of toxicant action. Chemical management plans. Key chemical characteristics for environmental fate. Partitioning.
Week 3 Fate of chemicals in water, air and sediments.
Week 4 Introduction to exposure to chemicals.  Mechanisms of toxicant absorption (routes of exposure). Distribution of chemicals.
Week 5 Principles and examples of bioaccumulation and biomagnification.      
Week 6 The biotransformation of chemicals.
Midterm Exam I. February 16, 2024.
Week 7 Reading week
Week 8 Excretion of chemicals. Introduction to the toxicodynamic phase of toxicant action.
Week 9 General mechanisms of toxic action.

Part II: Toxicological Testing

Week 10  Numbers in toxicology.  Dose-response relationships.  Statistics.
Week 11 Toxicological testing procedures: acute, short-term, and chronic tests.  Other toxicity tests.

Part III: Specific Toxicants

Week 12 Mechanisms of mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and teratogenesis.
Week 13 Pesticides and heavy metals. Persistent Organic Pollutants.Petroleum products and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Endocrine disruptors. Environmental Risk Assessment.
   
Week 17 Final Exam. April TBA.

Grading

  • Midterm Examination I (Feb. 16, 2024) 40%
  • Final Examination 60%

NOTES:

The final examination will include material from the whole course, although emphasis will be placed on the latter half of the course. Exams will be comprehensive and consist of short answer and essay type questions.

Policy on exams:
Exams, are to be taken at the specified date and time. Make-up exams will only be allowed in the case of documented illness.

Materials

RECOMMENDED READING:

There is NO required textbook: material will be from lecture notes only, or supplied articles by the Instructor.

Other sources of lecture material are:

'Casarett and Doull's Toxicology, The Basic Science of Poisons'. C. D. Klaassen, M. O. Amdur and J. Doull, eds. 4th edition. Macmillan, New York, 2021.

Introduction to Toxicology, by J. A. Timbrell. 2001. 3rd edition. Taylor & Francis Ltd., London.

'Basic Toxicology: Fundamentals, Target Organs, and Risk Assessment'. 7th edition. F. C. Lu. Hemisphere, New York, 2017.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html