GeoEnviroPro Talks are free weekly, 30-minute webinars designed to keep you current on emerging topics in environmental science and practice. Join live sessions at no cost. Replays are available for a limited time after each webinar.

About the webinar: If Paracelsus described the basis of toxicology as the “dose makes the poison”, then modern environmental toxicology has extended this concept further to read: “The dose makes the poison, and the medium makes the dose”. In other words, one concentration never defines the toxicity of a potential pollutant, but rather a pollutants’ threshold for toxicity could occur over a range of concentrations, depending on how it is modified by what else is in the water, sediment or soil.
Generic environmental quality guidelines are typically derived from toxicity tests which may have important differences to the site they are being applied to. In this presentation we will explore how guidelines are derived and how to develop appropriate site-specific limits.

About the instructor: Joshua Baker, M.Sc., P.Chem.
Josh Baker is an a environmental chemist (BSc, MSc) who works at the interface of biology and chemistry. Josh has spent over 15 years conducting toxicity tests to assist environmental assessments. He runs Rise Over Run Environmental and is currently supporting the development of environmental toxicology services at BQE Water. He lives on the land of the Whonnock people (in Maple Ridge) where he and his small farm and family grow.