Mechanisms and concepts in toxicology / W. Norman Aldridge

Includes bibliographical references (pages 218-247) and index.

1. Scope of Toxicology -- 2. Stages in the Induction of Toxicity -- 3. Kinetics and End-points -- 4. Acute and Chronic Intoxication -- 5. Delivery of Intoxicant: Decrease in delivery to the target -- 6. Delivery of Intoxicant: Bioactivation and increase in delivery to the target -- 7. Initiating Reactions with Targets -- 8. Biological Consequences of Initiating Reactions with Targets -- 9. Exposure, Dose and Chemical Structure, Response and Activity, and Thresholds -- 10. Selective Toxicity, Animal Experimentation and In Vitro Methods -- 11. Biomonitoring -- 12. Epidemiology -- 13. Environmental and Ecotoxicology -- 14. Reflections, Research and Risk.

An erroneous perception of risk from exposure to chemicals is that it is higher than other risks to which we are subject; it is also believed that exposure to synthetic chemicals is more hazardous than exposure to natural toxins that are present in air, water, plants and animals. This book, by clarifying the principles that apply to all chemicals and all organisms, including humans, explains why some chemicals are toxic and others are not, why different classes of chemicals cause different illnesses and why low exposures are usually harmless.The focus of Mechanisms and Concepts in Toxicology is on research procedures. Mechanistic research in toxicology leads not only to a greater understanding of the biology involved, but also the means to design substances with selectivity between species and minimal undesirable side-effects. The book develops a framework for understanding intoxication by chemicals. Five stages are described - exposure, delivery of intoxicant to its site of action, events that initiate the intoxication, early biological consequences and clinical findings. For each stage, mechanisms, concepts and keywords are defined and illustrated with examples of specific chemical intoxicants.