Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Morphological studies of normal organs/tissues and of organs/tissues affected by pathogens (bacteria and viruses) or by chemicals constitute important components of the course. Knowledge about the mode of action of different toxic chemicals is essential for the interpretation of toxicological data and for risk assessment. Therefore a significant part of the course will focus towards mechanistic issues. During development, embryos, foetuses and newborns are often much more sensitive than adults to chemicals and consequently, a lot of time is allocated to developmental toxicology during the course. Effects initiated during this sensitive period, in different groups of animals, will be discussed. Finally, during the course, you will also learn about human health and environmental risk assessment primarily by doing one or two risk assessments of your own.