Basics of Toxicology Estimating risk to non-humans 28 Dec 2018November 3, 2019 To get a basic understanding of risk, I recommend reading Estimating risks to humans first There has been much talk about bees and pesticides recently. Especially, how a class of…
Basics of Toxicology Estimating risk to humans 25 Dec 2018November 3, 2019 We all know sharks can be dangerous. But most of us don't spend our waking hours worrying about sharks because we rarely encounter them. This might change if you had…
Basics of Toxicology Correlation vs Causation 18 Dec 2018November 3, 2019 As noted in this classic science comic, people often think correlation implies causation. And this is probably every scientist's pet peeve -- it is definitely one of mine. Let's…
Basics of Toxicology Exposure to pollutants 2 Dec 2018November 3, 2019 The concept of exposure is well-grained in our psyche. We wash our hands after using the loo and cover our mouths while sneezing when sick. We regularly avoid falling sick…
Basics of Toxicology Tracking pollutants 11 Mar 2018November 3, 2019 Imagine you are Sherlock Holmes. You have a case to solve. You need to find out if a population of species is exposed to pollutant(s). What can you do? …
Basics of Toxicology How pollutants harm us 4 Mar 2018November 3, 2019 If you read the news regularly, you will know that journalists love talking about how x, y and z chemicals are bad for humans and/or the environment. These articles talk…
Basics of Toxicology Testing for toxicity 3 Mar 2018November 3, 2019 Before I explain why and how scientists test the toxicity of a chemical, it is important to reiterate a concept: the dose makes the poison. For the most, there is…
Basics of Toxicology How pollutants move through us 3 Feb 2018November 3, 2019 First, let's learn a new term -- xenobiotic. A xenobiotic is a compound that is foreign to an organism, i.e., it does not play a role in the organism's normal…
Basics of Toxicology How pollutants move through the environment 28 Jan 2018November 3, 2019 Toxicologists love chemical structures because structures tell a lot about a chemical, just like genes tell a lot about a person. And chemicals, like people, are also shaped by the…
Basics of Toxicology Major environmental pollutants 21 Jan 2018November 3, 2019 I am using the term pollutant here rather than chemical because many chemicals, like water and oxygen, are considered quite safe. Pollutants, on the other hand, are substances that are…
Basics of Toxicology What’s environmental toxicology? 2 Jan 2018November 3, 2019 It is the study of the harmful effects of substances on humans and other organisms in the environment. To understand this properly, let us ponder over the following. Continue reading…
Basics of Toxicology What this section (basics of toxicology) hopes to achieve 1 Jan 2018November 15, 2019 As a student researcher in environmental toxicology, I have come to respect and realize the importance of this field. Environmental toxicology laws have removed many harmful chemicals from the environment…
