There are many potential chemical threats that can be found in everyday living; however, discerning the difference between hype and reality can be difficult. Toxicology puts a “measure” on the threat levels that different chemicals impart.
Defining Toxicology
Toxicology quantifies or put a value on the risk associated with certain chemicals. Toxicology uses different disciplines to help come to an understanding about the potency of a chemical. These disciplines include chemistry, biology and statistics. Combining these disciplines, a toxicologist can determine an outcome of an exposure to certain chemicals under certain circumstances.
Toxicologists Use Scientific Evidence to do Toxic Risk Assessments
The scientifically measurable level of potential harm is sometimes referred to as the “risk assessment”. Some of the questions risk assessments answer, include questions such as: “How do certain pesticides threaten our health?” or “What is the effect of having a dump site near our homes?” Risk assessments may target specific chemicals, outlining their risk of causing certain ailments such as cancer, birth defects or obesity.
Potential Harmful Health Effects of Chemicals
Toxicology uses scientific methods to determine the amount of chemicals that a body can endure before the chemical becomes toxic or harmful to the body. This is referred to as the dosage level. This information is based on its chemical structure, its chemistry and its biochemistry. Besides understanding the chemical in question, it is important to understand both the biological processes and cellular processes in the body the chemical may affect. Toxicologists then combine this information to determine the chemical's harmful effects.
Design Experiments and Studies to Determine Tolerable Chemical Levels
The old adage “The poison is in the dose” applies here. A toxicologist will design experiments to determine the levels or doses of the chemical in question that the population can endure before the harmful effects affect the population's health. Not only is the dosage considered but also the conditions in which the chemical will be used in.
Assist in Establishing Rules and Regulations Regarding the Safe Use of the Chemicals
Toxicologists, using a chemical's risk assessments and study results will come up with the appropiate regulations and rules surrounding its use. These rules are designed to protect human health. By following the regulations chemicals can be used with minimal impact on the population.
Toxicology is a multidisciplinary field that uses knowledge from most scientific disciplines. With advances in technology toxicologists are able to re-evaluate the safety of some chemicals and change the currently standing risk assessments.
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