BIOS9411 – Toxicants in ecosystems and humans: Effects

Course content

The course gives insight into how toxicants affects humans and the environment, with a particular focus on individual effects. Toxicants affect many of the same processes in different organisms and the course will discuss similarities and differences between different species, using mammalian toxicology as a starting point. The course includes aspects of both ecotoxicology and human toxicology.

Learning outcome

  • Have knowledge of the mechanisms of toxicity for different toxic substances, including endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity and behavioural toxicity.
  • Have knowledge of the metabolism of toxicants in different species.
  • Have knowledge about the effects of toxicants on a molecular and cellular level, on individual health, on populations in nature and on communities, as well as the use of biomarkers.
  • Understand the importance of different groups of toxicants for human health and the environment.
  • Have experience with sampling fish in a field survey and measurement of biomarkers in their tissues.
  • Understand important drivers for distribution and accumulation of toxicants, including environmental, chemical, physical, physiological and ecological factors.
  • Understand models for toxicokinetics and -dynamics.
  • Understand models for accumulation and statistical tools used in ecotoxicology.
  • Expertise in conveying toxicological knowledge at the Master?s level

Admission to the course

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through?Studentweb.

If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.

Master's students must register for BIOS5411 – Toxicants in ecosystems and humans: Effects.

The courses BIOS5411 and BIOS9411 have common admission. Applicants are ranked by the following criteria:

1. PhD candidates?and master's students at the MN faculty who have the course as part of the approved curriculum. Master's students in Toxicology and environmental science are given priority.

2. Other PhD candidates, master students and visiting PhD candidates.

3. Students with admission to single courses on master’s level and exchange students

Applicants are ranked by credits in each group; all applicants within 1st rank before applicants in 2nd etc. If admission is limited to a fixed number of participants, admission will be decided by drawing lots for students who are ranked equally

Formal prerequisite knowledge