Numerous compounds are ubiquitous in our living environment and may enter our body through air, water, and food matrixes. The potential adverse health effects have been of great concerns. This module introduces students to basics of reactions and mechanisms of exogenous chemicals in vivo, and how to integrate the currently available toxicological and epidemiologic information for predicting the probability of adverse effects caused by interested compounds, then to make scientifically-sound decisions.

1. Synopsis of Biochemistry (2 credits): This course utilizes chemical and physical approaches to discuss the origins of life, the metabolism pathways and energy transfer of an organism, and the phenomena of evolution. The content includes carbohydrates, the synthesis and metabolism of amino acids and proteins, the synthesis and regulations of DNA and RNA, and signal transduction, etc. This course offers fundamental knowledge on biochemistry for further studies or advanced courses.

2. Principles of environmental and occupational toxicology (2 credits): The course introduces the principles of toxicology, including toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics, and mechanisms of toxic actions. Examples of environment toxicological studies and lab tours will also be provided.

3. Environmental and occupational toxicology (2credits): This course is an advanced version of environmental and occupational toxicology. The principle of toxicology on ADME will be first introduced, followed by the toxicology of each organ, then the toxicity of common toxicants in the environment, workplace and food.

4. Health risk assessment (3 credits): This course introduces students to search for the best available scientific information, to integrate the info with updated methods used by the international community, to predict the probability of harms caused the chemicals of interests, and interpret results with potential uncertainties. The assessment can be the basis for making scientifically-sound public policies.

5. Fundamentals of environmental analysis (2credits): This course introduces physical, chemical, and biological techniques for environmental analysis such as sampling, sample preparation, and determination methods. This course will provide an overview of fundamental theories and practical approaches to environmental analysis.

After completion of these courses, students are expected to be capable of integrating the available toxicological and epidemiological information for interpreting chemical hazards, and to conduct a scientifically-sound risk assessment. Job opportunities include risk assessors in consulting companies and in those industries that are required to provide health risk assessment under the air pollution regulations. The courses of this module will benefit those pursuing professional and/or governmental careers as certified industrial hygienists, food technologists, and chemical safety specialists.