Toxicology

Toxicology is a scientific <a href="/facts/Discipline_(academia)/pKoQHpYL">discipline</a>, overlapping with <a href="/facts/Biology/1M1ee3pB">biology</a>, <a href="/facts/Chemistry/SrNqkGVm">chemistry</a>, <a href="/facts/Pharmacology/4Rx8s7Ie">pharmacology</a>, and <a href="/facts/Medicine/2fnp90Je">medicine</a>, that involves the study of the <a href="/facts/Adverse_effect/vAhfbr1J">adverse effects</a> of <a href="/facts/Chemical_substance/EWcXU41d">chemical substances</a> on living <a href="/facts/Organism/j8JkL09u">organisms</a> and the practice of <a href="/facts/Diagnosis/VcsPwshd">diagnosing</a> and <a href="/facts/Therapy/2ytkGbgT">treating</a> exposures to <a href="/facts/Toxin/11oUNk7n">toxins</a> and <a href="/facts/Toxicant/5A8SFmgk">toxicants</a>. The <a href="/facts/Dose%25E2%2580%2593response_relationship/DLcuLdHc">relationship between dose and its effects on the exposed organism</a> is of high significance in toxicology. Factors that influence chemical <a href="/facts/Toxicity/qa96rs60">toxicity</a> include the dosage, duration of exposure (whether it is acute or <a href="/facts/Chronic_toxicity/gUoq4N0g">chronic</a>), route of exposure, species, age, sex, and environment. Toxicologists are experts on <a href="/facts/Poison/XIQjhpsw">poisons</a> and <a href="/facts/Poisoning/oKDkhLbz">poisoning</a>. There is a movement for <a href="/facts/Evidence-based_toxicology/1aqPc7mA">evidence-based toxicology</a> as part of the larger movement towards <a href="/facts/Evidence-based_practices/sU7RdtkN">evidence-based practices</a>. Toxicology is currently contributing to the field of <a href="/facts/Cancer/PVW6n1D0">cancer</a> research, since some toxins can be used as drugs for killing tumor cells. One prime example of this is <a href="/facts/Ribosome-inactivating_protein/FnY6UEvj">ribosome-inactivating proteins</a>, tested in the treatment of <a href="/facts/Leukemia/WpEfW0Qh">leukemia</a>.
The word toxicology (/ˌtɒksɪˈkɒlədʒi/) is a <a href="/facts/Classical_compound/9zVyEVVL">neoclassical compound</a> from <a href="/facts/Neo-Latin/mbBrTVEd">Neo-Latin</a>, first attested c. 1799, from the combining forms toxico- + -logy, which in turn come from the <a href="/facts/Ancient_Greek/LIK7NlUh">Ancient Greek</a> words τοξικός toxikos, "poisonous", and λόγος logos, "subject matter").

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Toxicology