|
|
|
||
|
The course focuses on understanding the relationships between the environmental fate of chemicals, their biological effects, and the regulatory relevance of available data. It is grounded in the principles of modern environmental toxicology and engineering approaches to contaminant assessment. Topics include problem formulation, critical analysis of scientific literature, predictive modelling (QSAR, SSD), and new approach methodologies (NAMs, ToxCast, IVIVE), as well as risk assessment and mitigation strategies. Each student works with a selected contaminant, for which they gradually develop an analytical and evaluative framework.
Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|
|
||
|
The course is conducted as self-study with regular consultations (approximately once per month).
Students complete a series of short written assignments according to the thematic blocks (annotations, diagrams, summaries, calculations).
The final deliverable is a concise mini-review of the selected contaminant, integrating results from previous tasks and evaluating its environmental relevance, fate, toxicity, and possible remediation methods. Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|
|
||
|
Obligatory:
Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|
|
||
|
1. Introduction, scope of the field, and selection of the compound. Critical evaluation of a research article on the selected contaminant in terms of its regulatory and environmental relevance. 2. Fate and transport of contaminants. Processes influencing the environmental behavior of substances – diffusion, sorption, retardation, biodegradation. 3. Toxicity mechanisms and the AOP (Adverse Outcome Pathways) framework. Relationship between molecular initiating events (MIE) and adverse outcomes (AO). 4. Conventional vs. emerging contaminants. Transformation products, environmental occurrence, and comparison of contaminant groups. 5. QSAR I: Property prediction. Prediction of physicochemical and toxicological properties using ECHA/US EPA models. 6. QSAR II: Modeling metabolic activation. Simulation of biotic transformations and identification of potentially toxic metabolites. 7. Ecotoxicological tests and new approach methods (NAMs). Standard OECD tests and modern approaches (e.g., ToxCast). 8. Linking modeling and experimental data. Comparison of predicted and measured toxicity values. 9. Risk assessment (ERA, SSD, PNEC). Principles of risk assessment, PNEC calculation based on experimental and literature data. 10. Ecotoxicology of mixtures and interactions. Risks associated with contaminant mixtures, synergism, and additive effects. 11. Ecotoxicology of soils, sediments, and biofilms. Toxicity and bioavailability of substances in soil and sediment environments. 12. Remediation and mitigation of contaminants. Comparison of the efficiency of various degradation and removal methods. 13. Regulatory science and relevance. Evaluation of the regulatory and environmental significance of available studies. 14. Risk and uncertainty communication. Approaches to presenting environmental risks to scientific and general audiences. Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|
|
||
|
The main study materials include scientific papers and review articles listed in the individual syllabus blocks, complemented by recommended webinars and video materials (EPA, ECHA, OECD). Work with data and models is based on publicly available databases and tools, in particular the EPA ECOTOX Knowledgebase, ECHA REACH, OECD QSAR Toolbox, and the EPA CompTox Dashboard. Recommended literature: Walker, C. H. et al. (2012) Principles of Ecotoxicology; Schwarzenbach, R. P. et al. (2017) Environmental Organic Chemistry. Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|
|
||
|
After completing the course, the student will be able to critically evaluate environmental and toxicological data on selected contaminants, apply the principles of environmental risk assessment, relate chemical properties to environmental fate and biological effects, and use predictive and modeling tools to propose appropriate mitigation or remediation strategies. Last update: McGachy Lenka (13.10.2025)
|