Toxicology is a scientific discipline that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical, biological, and physical agents on living organisms, particularly humans. It is an interdisciplinary field that integrates information from biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine. The primary goal of toxicology is to understand the harmful effects that chemicals, substances, or situations can have on people, animals, and the environment. Toxicologists are scientists who investigate, interpret, and communicate the nature of those effects.

Some key concepts in toxicology include:

• Dose: The amount of the chemical or substance a person is exposed to is an important factor in toxicology. All substances have the potential to be toxic if given to humans and other living organisms in certain conditions and at certain doses or levels.

• Routes of exposure: How a chemical enters into a persons body can make a difference with how much of it is absorbed, and can determine whether or not the exposure will cause harm. Oral exposure is when something is ingested, inhalation exposure is when a person breathes something that is in the air, and dermal exposure happens when something is absorbed through a persons skin.

• Risk assessment: Risk assessors calculate the total exposure dose by adding the amount of chemicals entering your body by all of the routes of exposure. Toxicologists use information from dose-response studies for a chemical to calculate the dose likely to be safe for people.

Toxicology is critical in determining the materials, substances, and ingredients that can and cannot be used across a variety of sectors, including medicine, construction, and air and water quality control.