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Lecturer(s)
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Ševců Alena, RNDr. Ph.D.
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Slavík Martin, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Morávková Karolína, Ing. Mgr.
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Course content
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Topics: Introduction to ecotoxicology - ecotoxicology as a science of the effects of stressors on ecosystems and their living components. Relationships and connections of ecotoxicology with other sciences and environmental sciences. Basic ecotoxicological concepts and principles. Exposure-dose-response concept. NO(A)EL, LO(A)L, EC50, EC10. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME). Toxicokinetics and toxodynamics; acute vs. chronic toxicity. Chemical substances in the environment - inorganic substances (e.g. metals, gases, nitrogen, phosphorus), organic substances (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, solvents, microplastics) and their fate. Mixtures of toxic substances and their interactions. Environmental risk assessment and regulation. Legislative frameworks for the protection of ecosystems (REACH, Stockholm Convention). Methods and standards for environmental toxicity assessment (OECD, EPA). Search and critical evaluation of toxicological information. Information sources: CLP regulation, ECHA database, PubChem. Integrated Pollution Register - IRZ. Pollution prevention strategies. Ecotoxicity assessment - testing of chemical substances on model organisms and cell lines, testing of samples taken from the environment. Standard tests, model organisms, data interpretation. Biochemical mechanisms - metabolism, adaptation and toxicity. Bioaccumulation. Biotransformation of substances including biodegradation. Genotoxicity - mutagenesis vs carcinogenesis. Biomonitoring and biological indicators. Biodiversity indices. Toxic effects on individual groups of organisms in aquatic and soil ecosystems. The effect of toxic substances on free-living vertebrates. Case studies - description, consequences. Studies of contamination of water sources (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, microplastics), soil pollution by heavy metals or organic compounds, air pollution.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Dialogue metods(conversation,discussion,brainstorming), Self-study (text study, reading, problematic tasks, practical tasks, experiments, research, written assignments), Lecture, Students' portfolio
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Learning outcomes
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The aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to assess the fate of foreign chemical substances in the environment and their effects on various levels of biological organization, and to understand the basic principles of ecotoxicology. The course includes an assessment. Students will also be introduced to several case studies from practice.
Learning outcomes: Students will learn the basic concepts of chemical hazards and exposure as determining factors of chemical toxicity. Students will be able to describe the sources and fate of chemicals in the environment. Students will understand the mechanisms of adverse effects of chemical substances on the environment and human health, and will be able to estimate the risk of adverse effects of chemical substances at various levels of biological organization based on knowledge of the toxicity, degradability, and bioavailability of chemical substances. Students will be familiar with basic approaches to ecotoxicity assessment based on standardized tests. Students will be able to find and critically interpret toxicological information from various sources for assessing hazards and risks to human health and the environment.
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Prerequisites
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unspecified
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Combined examination
Credit -- preparation of a presentation on a selected topic. Written exam.
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Recommended literature
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Anděl, P. Ekotoxikologie, bioindikace a biomonitoring. Liberec: Evernia, 2011. ISBN 978-80-903787-0-7.
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CAMPBELL, P. G. C. et al. Ecotoxicology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press., 2022. ISBN 978-1-108-83469-8.
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Prokeš J. Základy toxikologie. Obecná toxikologie a ekotoxikologie.. Praha: Karolinum - Galén, 2005.
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WALKER, C. H. et al. Principles of ecotoxicology. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group., 2012. ISBN 978-1-138-42384-8.
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