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Environmental toxicology

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Illustration of environmental toxicology

Toxicology is the study of toxic compounds and how these compounds can affect living organisms. In environmental toxicology we are especially concerned with how compounds are being distributed in the environment and taken up in the food chain, thereby affecting important components of the ecosystem. At the same time knowledge about how these compounds exert their mechanisms of action in a few species provides a basis for understanding effects in related groups. In this way fish, e.g. zebrafish, can be useful model organisms for understanding mechanisms that cannot be studied in humans or polar bears.

Master exam
Christine holding up a print of a cod head

Master thesis on the effects of bisphenol compounds on Atlantic cod estrogen receptor

In her master thesis, Christine Tveiten Johansen, has studied how bisphenol compounds activate or inhibit estrogen receptor in Atlantic cod. She shows disturbing results of the substitute compounds can be more harmful that the known plastic additive bisphenol A.

News
Karina Dale posing with an Atlantic cod and a diploma

Award(winn)ing time at Beitostølen

The dCod project has been gathered at Beitostølen for the annual winter workshop. Following the workshop, many of us stayed on for the winter meeting of Norsk selskap for Toksikologi og Farmakologi (NSFT), where Karina Dale received award for best presentation in toxicology.

News
Trawling for fish in the Oslo fjord at sunset

Catching cod in the Oslo fjord

Several partners of the dCod 1.0 project participated in field studies in the Oslo fjord. The aim of the expedition was to study the pollution levels of cod in this popular area. For two of the four days they were joined by ecology students and teachers from the University of Oslo.

Voss workshop
dCod workshop participants

First dCod workshop

The first workshop in the dCod 1.0 project was organized at Voss during a busy December month. 22 participants from all Norwegian partners participated in discussions, cross-disciplinary crash courses, and teambuilding.

How environmental pollutants can threaten our health

Even low doses of environmental pollutants can threaten our health. The current epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes in western countries may be directly related to the effects of even small amounts of environmental pollutants on our bodies.

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