Toxicology

Toxicology

A branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on living organisms, as well as the symptoms, mechanisms, treatments and detection of poisoning, especially the poisoning of people.

Industry: Biology; Chemistry

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Toxicology

Toxin

Biology; Toxicology

Poisonous substance produced by a biological organism such as a microbe, animal, plant or fungus. Note: Examples are botulinum toxin, tetrodotoxin, pyrrolizidine alkaloids and amanitin.

Deposition

Biology; Toxicology

1. Process by which a substance arrives at a particular organ or tissue site, for example the deposition of particles on the ciliated epithelium of the bronchial airways. 2. Process by which a ...

Cholinesterase inhibitor

Biology; Toxicology

Substance which inhibits the action of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and related enzymes which catalyse the hydrolysis of choline esters: such a substance causes hyperactivity in parasympathetic ...

Biological effect monitoring (BEM)

Biology; Toxicology

Continuous or repeated measurement of early biological effects of exposure to a substance to evaluate ambient exposure and health risk by comparison with appropriate reference values based on ...

Adverse event

Biology; Toxicology

Occurrence which causes an adverse effect. Note: An adverse event in clinical studies is any untoward reaction in a human subject participating in a research project; such an adverse event, which may ...

Biological indicator

Biology; Toxicology

Species or group of species which is representative and typical for a specific status of an ecosystem, which appears frequently enough to serve for monitoring and whose population shows a sensitive ...

Bioconcentration factor (BCF)

Biology; Toxicology

Measure of the tendency for a substance in water to accumulate in organisms, especially fish. Note 1. The equilibrium concentration of a substance in fish can be estimated by multiplying its ...