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Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. [1] Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ such as the liver (hepatotoxicity).
U.S. Army Public Health Center Toxicology Lab technician assessing samples. Toxicology testing, also known as safety assessment, or toxicity testing, is the process of determining the degree to which a substance of interest negatively impacts the normal biological functions of an organism, given a certain exposure duration, route of exposure, and substance concentration.
A toxicologist working in a lab (United States, 2008)Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms [1] and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants.
Doxorubicin has been shown to be selectively toxic to cardiac tissue, although some toxicity has been seen in other tissues as well. [7] Other anti-cancer drugs, such as fluoropyrimidines and taxanes , are extremely effective at treating and reducing tumor proliferation, but have high incidences of cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial infarctions.
The value of LD 50 for a substance is the dose required to kill half the members of a tested population after a specified test duration. LD 50 figures are frequently used as a general indicator of a substance's acute toxicity. A lower LD 50 is indicative of higher toxicity. The term LD 50 is generally attributed to John William Trevan. [2]
In Barrie Peake's paper, Impact of Pharmaceuticals on the Environment, ecotoxicity is defined based on the level of exposure to hazardous substances. Peake identifies two categories: acute and chronic ecotoxicity (Peake, 2016). Acute ecotoxicity refers to harmful effects that occur from exposure to a hazardous substance for up to 15 days.
Examples of toxic agents are toxic metals, toxic chemicals, microbe neurotoxins, radiation particles and even specific neurotransmitters when the system is out of balance. Also some types of drugs, e.g alcohol , [ 1 ] and some venom , e.g. from the puff adder ( Bitis arietans ) or brown recluse spider ( Loxosceles reclusa ) are toxic to cells.
A mode of toxic action is a common set of physiological and behavioral signs that characterize a type of adverse biological response. [1] A mode of action should not be confused with mechanism of action, which refer to the biochemical processes underlying a given mode of action. [2]