COURSE OVERVIEW

This practical and highly-interactive course includes various practical sessions and exercises. Theory learnt will be applied using our state-of-the-art simulators.
This course aims to provide an introduction to the principles of toxicology, the main types of harmful effects to target organs from exposure to chemical hazards at work, and the hazards associated with common hazardous substances.
On completing this course successfully, participants will be able to:-
• Provide definitions of commonly used toxicological terms
• Describe the main routes by which hazardous substances can enter the body, and the factors which influence their absorption, distribution, storage, and elimination
• Describe the main sources of information on hazardous substances and processes
• Describe the key features of the principal target organs affected by hazardous substances at work, and the factors which influence the degree of harm
• Describe the main routes of exposure and toxic and health effects for hazardous substances commonly encountered in the workplace
• Conduct basic interpretation of the results from epidemiological studies
This course is designed to provide participants with a detailed and up-to-date overview of BOHS-M507: Health Effects of Hazardous Substances. It covers the basic principles of toxicology including pharmacokinetics and dose response relationships; the toxicity testing and types of combined effects, general health effects, carcinogens, sensitisers and reproductive effects; the physiology and target organs including particles, gases and vapours, the lung as a target organ, allergic conditions and skin; and the nervous system, circulatory system, liver, kidney and reproductive system.
During the interactive course, paticipants will learn the epidemiology and the health effects and industrial processes covering risk and safety phrases, sources of information, gases, vapours and minerals, dusts, and particulate materials; the metals and their compounds, common industrial processes and specific industry profiles; and the principal toxic effects and sources of legionella and humidifier fever, infections of blood borne diseases, zoonoses, bloodborne infections, moulds, pandemics and genetic modification.
This course will require at least 45 hours of study time, of which at least 37 hours will be taught (teaching and practical assessments) and 8 hours will be independent (in the candidates’ own time).