TM5583 - Tropical Toxicology

[Offered in even-numbered years]

Credit points:	03
Year:	2016
Student Contribution Band:	Band
Administered by:	College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences

every alternate year commencing 2016

Toxicology is the study of poisoning. Poisoning can either be deliberate or incidental. In people under 40 years of age in Australia, deliberate self-harm is the commonest cause of death. In the tropics, deliberate self-poisoning is mainly due to agrichemicals. Many tropical countries have economies that are in transition, with chemical processing, storage and transportation as components. Agriculture also factors heavily in these economies. This factor, combined with public health regulation in its infancy, can expose inhabitants to increased risk of exposure to toxic substances through excessive exposure to, and inappropriate use of toxic chemicals. This subject will give students a knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity and the management of poisoning. It will also examine the public health implications of poisoning throughout the world, in particular poisoning due to metals, pesticides and other agents in the tropics. At the end of this subject, students will be able to demonstrate current best practice to manage poisoning in developed and developing countries. They will also be able to critically analyse public health approaches to reduce poisoning in these settings.

Learning Outcomes

• apply advanced integrated knowledge in the public health approaches to poisonings;
• demonstrate the correct first aid treatments for persons poisoned in the field;
• discriminate the differences between mechanisms of poisoning and its effects on victims;
• interpret and present the clinical syndromes associated with poisoning to professional and non-professional audiences;
• use expert judgment to formulate a treatment plan for a poisoned patient;
• critically analyse the best practice public health responses to reduce the risk of humans to poisonings.

Assumed Knowledge:

it is assumed that students enrolling in this subject will come from a health background. Students should have a basic understanding of biochemistry and human physiology.

Availabilities
Cairns, Limited, Study Period 9
Census Date 06-Oct-2016
Face to face teaching 14-Nov-2016 to 20-Nov-2016
Coordinator:	Mr Dave Sellars
Lecturers:	Mr Mark Little, Assoc. Professor Jamie Seymour.
Contact hours:	20 hours lectures 15 hours practicals 5 hours workshops/Seminars 4 hours fieldwork
Assessment:	end of semester exam (40%); presentations (15%); tutorial attendance and participation (15%); assignments (30%).
Restrictions:	An enrolment quota applies to this offering.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.