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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).
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.
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.
Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when toxic substances are introduced into the body. [1] The term "poisoning" is a derivative of poison, a term describing any chemical substance that may harm or kill a living organism upon ingestion. [2] Poisoning can be brought on by swallowing, inhaling, injecting or absorbing toxins through the skin.
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]
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]
The Amanita muscaria mushroom, an iconic toxic mushroom. A toxin is a naturally occurring poison [1] produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. [2] They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. [3] The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), [4] derived from toxic.