Toxicology is the study of toxins. Toxins are substances that are toxic or harmful to the body. Toxins may be natural or artificial and they can harm the body and cause disablement or/and death.
According to the 'Encyclopedia of Toxicology', "Ancient in practice, toxicology came to be known simplistically as the ‘science of poisons,’ a poison being any substance that, at a given dose, is capable of causing a harmful outcome when administered, either by accident or by intention, to a living being.
'Today toxicology can be defined as “the study of all the adverse effects resulting from the interaction of chemicals or physical agents with living organisms.”
'Toxicology is a multidisciplinary science that has grown and expanded by borrowing data from several different areas. It comprises knowledge and methods from basic sciences such as medicine, epidemiology, pharmacy, and even some engineering areas.
'Toxicological studies include the detection, identification, and quantification of hazards ensuing from human exposure to chemicals (smoke, food, and workplace), public health aspects of toxic agents in the environment (air, water, and soil), and testing of novel pharmaceutical products.
'Toxicologists are further involved in the development of standards and regulations designed to protect the environment and human health from the deleterious effects of chemical toxicants.
'With human monitoring studies, toxicology provides important information to both medicine and epidemiology. It contributes to a better understanding of disease etiology, such as that of cancer, and the plausibility of the causal association between disease development and exposure to hazard agents.
'Modern toxicology goes beyond the investigation of adverse effects to use toxic agents as tools in molecular biology studies to explore events occurring at molecular and gene cell levels.
'Overall, it encompasses the detection, occurrence, properties, effects, and regulation of toxicants. Not many scientific disciplines are able to achieve the perfect balance between production of science and direct public applications, toxicology may be unique in this regard."
