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Chemicals make up every part of us! Some chemicals are vital to our health,
while others may be harmful.
In this course we will focus on the effects of some of the many chemicals that
we encounter every day.
My name is Megan Latshaw and my colleague Beth Resnick and I created
this course. Id like to being by telling you a bit
about ourselves.
And Id like to start with Beth. . .
Well, for starters, have you ever thought about what life was like before the
Chemical Age? [click]
Glass bottles meant more visits to the doctor or hospital for stitches or
infections. [click]
Speaking of infections, un-chlorinated water meant increased illness and
death from cholera and thyphoid fever. [click]
Fewer pharmaceuticals also led to higher rates of morbidity & mortality.
[click]
Cleaning involved a lot more tired arms and when childrens metal toys
broke, you couldnt just glue or tape them back together.
Well, for starters, have you ever thought about what life was like before the
Chemical Age? [click]
Glass bottles meant more visits to the doctor or hospital for stitches or
infections. [click]
Speaking of infections, un-chlorinated water meant increased illness and
death from cholera and thyphoid fever. [click]
Fewer pharmaceuticals also led to higher rates of morbidity & mortality.
[click]
Cleaning involved a lot more tired arms and when childrens metal toys
broke, you couldnt just glue or tape them back together.
Module 2 introduces you to the field of toxicology and tries to answer the
question: What do chemicals do in our bodies? [click]
Professor Trush will:
Explain the concept of dose response. [click]
Describe the continuum from environmental hazard to exposure to internal
dose to health effects.
Explain the concepts of absorption, distribution, metabolism & elimination.
Highlight connection between toxicology & pharmacology (toxic vs.
beneficial effects). [click]
Then you will have your first quiz! It will be Multiple Choice and will focus on
the first two modules and comprise 20% of your grade.
Our final module demonstrates how all these concepts come together to help
address real-world problems and questions:
Dr. Ken Aldous from the New York State Department of Health will talk
about non-smokers who are exposed to smoke just by being in the same
room as a smoker and how NY measured their exposure both before and
after a ban on smoking in restaurants
Dr. Joanna Cohen from JHSPH will talk about tobacco companies newest
products and they try to stay viable given new restrictions on smoking.
Then Dr. Urvashi Rangan of Consumers Union will discuss chemicals in
food and other consumer products.
Finally, Prof. Pat Breysse from JHSPH will address nanotechnology &
worker health.
We have one last module that doesnt get its own slide since it will simply be
a way to pull everything together and provide some ideas for next steps.
There are some big questions we hope to cover and have tried to do it in a
fun, engaging way. Your participation and feedback will be key to making this
a useful course. . .so we hope to hear from you along the way!
Enjoy!