The dose makes the poison

Institution: Carleton University (Southam Hall 409)
Category: Faculty of Science
Language: English

Course Description

Drugs, alcohol, crime and death

What makes a chemical harmful to the environment or humans? How do we keep our food supply safe? What's the science behind how the police can tell if someone is under the influence, or if they overdosed? Welcome to the world of toxicology, the area of science that focuses on answering these questions.
In this course we will cover the basics of toxicology theory, the tests used for detecting chemicals and drugs and how the information can be interpreted.
The main principles in toxicology are at the crossroads between chemistry and biology. This course will explore what absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) means in terms of drugs (legal and illegal) and alcohol moving through our bodies, as well as chemicals moving through the environment. We will also touch on the genetic differences some people have that can change the way ADME works.
To detect chemicals, drugs and alcohol in the environment and human body many different techniques are employed. We will look at what the different methods are and why different methods are used for different substances.
Taking all this information we will wrap up the course looking at how a toxicologist can interpret their results based on previous scientific research and understanding. Can a toxicologist predict what will happen if a chemical is released into the environment? Can a toxicologist determine what symptoms you'll have after 3 drinks? Come find out in this EMC!
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