Assignment: Toxicology

Discuss an environmental occupational toxicant that has been in the news within the last 6 months. Discuss the concerns that have brought media attention to this toxicant. Discuss the common route of entry, health concerns, and symptoms that indicate toxicity of this chemical. Reflect on ways that this chemical may be avoided or the health concerns eradicated.

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

1. A doctor can send hair samples from a newborn infant to be analyzed in the lab to see if the mother drank alcohol during the pregnancy. This is one test that can be performed to assist in diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome. Recalling what you know about elimination of toxicants, briefly explain why this test can be used to determine exposure to alcohol.

2. Explain the processes used by the body to eliminate a toxicant. Provide an example of a situation where one of these processes might be inhibited and how the inability to eliminate the toxicant might impact the individual.

3. Identify the factors that can affect the distribution of a toxicant in the body. Explain how manipulation of these factors can increase toxicity.

4. Identify the three systems of the body in which toxicants can enter, give a brief description of how this may occur, and provide an example of a toxicant that can enter the body through each system.