Overview

     The rapid development of many countries within the region has led to the widespread use of chemicals in Industry, Agriculture, Public Health as well as in our daily lives. This has resulted in significant chemical contamination and deterioration of the environment, with unavoidable impacts on the economy, society, and the health of the people. In addressing these problems, there is a pressing need for experts in the field of Environmental Toxicology, which is a field requiring knowledge in several inter-related sciences. In keeping with the national policy to generate high quality personnel in the fields of Science and Technology, CGI has thus offered a graduate program in Environmental Toxicology to address this need to train a new generation of scientists that will become the driving force for the country, and region, in the years to come. Research activities include: elucidation of mechanisms through which chemical and biological agents in the environment induce pathogenesis; study of the effects of environmental pollutants and industrial chemicals as modifiers of physiological and pathological status and the influence of host factors such as nutritional status and preexisting disease on toxicity and carcinogenicity of chemicals; and development of new methods for detection of environmental toxicants.