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Environmental toxicology is a multidisciplinary field of science concerned with the study of the harmful effects of various chemical, biological and physical agents on living organisms. [1] [2] Ecotoxicology is a subdiscipline of environmental toxicology concerned with studying the harmful effects of toxicants at the population and ecosystem ...
The term "environmental toxin" can sometimes explicitly include synthetic contaminants [26] such as industrial pollutants and other artificially made toxic substances. As this contradicts most formal definitions of the term "toxin", it is important to confirm what the researcher means when encountering the term outside of microbiological contexts.
A key environmental concern involves polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which "accumulate on particles and sediments, shielding them from biodegradation," according to Green and Trett. [ 7 ] In one study, samples were collected from four sites (13 stations) in the Amazon where crude oil was the main pollutant.
This includes diseases caused by substance abuse, exposure to toxic chemicals, and physical factors in the environment, like UV radiation from the sun, as well as genetic predisposition. Meanwhile, pollution-related diseases are attributed to exposure to toxins in the air, water, and soil.
This can include medical waste, samples of a microorganism, virus, or toxin (from a biological source) that can impact human health. Biological hazards can also include substances harmful to animals. Examples of biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, fungi, other microorganisms and their associated toxins.
Indirect effects – organisms directly affected by the loss of food, which has declined due to toxins. Sublethal effects – toxins or compounds that do not induce significant mortality but make the organism sick or make it change its behavior [9] Increased sensitivity to toxicants when additional environmental stressors are present [10]
By contrast, a toxin is a poison produced naturally by an organism (e.g. plant, animal, insect). [2] The 2011 book A Textbook of Modern Toxicology states, "A toxin is a toxicant that is produced by a living organism and is not used as a synonym for toxicant—all toxins are toxicants, but not all toxicants are toxins.
The waste can contain chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, dangerous pathogens, or other toxins. Even households generate hazardous waste from items such as batteries, used computer equipment, and leftover paints or pesticides. [1] Toxic material can be either human-made and others are naturally occurring in the environment.