Ecotoxicology

STUDIES 'DIRECTION: ERASMUS / ECTS: 4 / semester 1

Profile: akademic level/ Form and level: S

status: directional / optional

Prerequisites: None

The aims of subject are: definition and classification of toxins. Factors conditioning toxicity. Fate of toxins in organisms, ecosystems and their mechanisms. Toxicity and methods of detoxication.

Lectures

1. Ecotoxicology as an interdisciplinary science. The basic terms of ecotoxicology: xenobiotic, harmful chemical, pollutant, poison, toxicology, bioassays, biomarkers and biosensors.

2. Fate of toxic substances in the ecosystem (toxic substances and their division, toxic substances routes, bioaccumulation and biomagnifications coefficients).

3. The effect of physicochemical factors in the environment on the interactions between toxic substances (synergism, addictiveness, compensation).

4. Fate of toxic substances in living organism. Methods of detoxication.

5. Health and Ecological Risk Assessment

Classes

1. Dose-response relationships. Quantitative indices of toxic effects assessment. Computing of LD50 on the basis of experimental data

2. Assessment of toxicity of soil and bottom sediment contaminated with heavy metals for plants – Phytotoxkit test

3. Assessment of concentration of heavy metal in soil and plants – calculation of Bioaccumulation Coefficientes

4. Assessment of toxicity of freshwater using the crustacean Daphnia magna

5. Toxicity of natural substance – Assessment of oxalates concentration in selected stimulants (coffee, tea)

6. Toxicity of salt – Assessment of chloride concentration in food (bread).

7. Toxicity of mercury – Assessment of mercury concentration in fish.

Student activity structure:

classes with the academic 45, ECTS ** 1.80

academic level

including:

lectures 15 hours

classess and seminars 35 hours

consultation 0 hours

shares in research 0 hours

obligatory internships and internships 0 hours

participation in the exam and passing 0 hours.

personal workload (without or with academics participation during consultations) (2.2 ECTS **) 55 hours

Basic literature

1. Baran A., Kołton A. 2015. Ecotoxicology. w: Agroecology, Ropek D. (red.), 2014, Publishing House of the University of Agriculture, ISBN 978-83-64758-06-5, 117-130.

2. Walker C.H, Hopkin P., Silby R.M., Peakall D.B. Principles of Ecotoxicology. Taylor&Francis, 2000.

2. Begom G.(red). Ecotoxicology. InTech, 2012.

3. Hoffman D., Barnett A., Ratner G., Allen Burton Jr., John Carns Jr. Handbook of Ecotoxicology. CRC Press LLC

Supplementary literature

1. Williams P.LJames R.C, Roberts SM. Principles of Toxicology. Environmental and Industrial Application. John Wiley & Sons, 2000

knowledge:

- Identify toxic substances in the environment and their fate in the environment

- Integrate knowledge from different disciplines in order to understand the toxicity of chemicals

ability

- Calculate the toxicity of substances to animals and humans

- Indicates substances in different parts of the environment and biological materials

- Estimate the health risks associated with exposure to xenobiotics in the environment

social competence:

-Organize the work in a small team in order to perform exercises

Lectures

written exam - open questions

The percentage scale of the evaluation of learning outcomes was defined, defined as follows:

1. Insufficient grade (2.0): it is issued if at least one of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes achieved, the student obtains less than 55% of the mandatory effects for a given component.

2. Sufficient assessment (3.0): it is issued if, in the scope of each of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes, the student obtains at least 50% of the applicable effects for a given component.

3. Over-satisfactory grade (3.5): it is issued on the basis of the arithmetic mean of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes (average 61-70%).

4. A similar way of calculating grades as presented in point 3 were accepted for good grades (4.0 - average 71-80%), over good (4.5 - average 81-90%) and very good (5.0 - average> 90%).

exercises

Assessment of the performance of analytical and computational tasks, efficiency and organization of work in a team

Final grade = 0.5 x exam grade (lectures) + 0.5 x final grade (classess)