The annual reports for the previous years can be downloaded from here. To download the Annual Report 2007, you must right click on the previous link and select "Save Target As" then save the file to your hard drive. The Annual Report 2006 can be viewed by left clicking on the link.
The National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, EnTox, is a centre of excellence that addresses the need for national and international research into human environmental toxicology.
EnTox is a Joint Venture of the University of Queensland and the Queensland Department of Health.
The major goals of EnTox have been to achieve excellence in research, conduct postgraduate and professional training in environmental toxicology and environmental health risk assessment, and provide an active and valued consultancy service. Its work is congruent with national research directions.
Environmental Toxicology is defined as the study of the health effects of low-level exposure of biological systems and, in particular of humans, to environmental contaminants. It is a multidisciplinary subject, which draws together a number of medical and scientific disciplines. Environmental toxicology is a major component of the provision of public health. We study these health effects within a framework of risk assessment. Risk assessment involves the identification of potential hazards, exposure to these hazards, dose-response assessment and risk evaluation to determine the plausibility and magnitude of risks posed by environmental agents.
Within today's world, the activities of EnTox are directed towards helping solve problems that are of relevance to government, industry and the community. For that reason, EnTox has repositioned its operating framework so that research is directed to enable effective risk assessment tools to be developed for particular environmental health issues.
The major research themes of EnTox are to study the exposure, effects and mechanisms of toxicity of: a range of toxins including metals and metalloids such as cadmium and arsenic; natural toxins such as algal toxins and mycotoxins and anthropogenic pollutants including various persistent organic pollutants like dioxins and pesticides.
EnTox's strengths focus on undertaking multidisciplinary research work directed at national and international priority environmental health issues arising from exposure to environmental substances. The key areas of environmental health issues arise from exposure to toxins in water, air, food and soil.
The centre is well placed to continue in its current trajectory of increased research grant activity and provision of quality postgraduate training programs, and will continue to pursue opportunities such as the development of GLP for toxicity testing.
The general ethics of research in EnTox, enunciated many years ago, is to make research develop in an innovative, co-operative, creative and friendly environment. This is of particular importance to students working on challenging topics to be in a supportive collegiate structure who are then able to maximize opportunities for personal and professional development. Above all EnTox recognises that research in topics of our own choosing is fun. It fulfils us and shows that we are the masters of our own areas of expertise. It allows us full ownership of our studies and allows us to interact flexibly and co-operatively with our peers in full recognition of their strengths as they reciprocate by recognition of our strengths.