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Environmental Toxicology pp 163–180Cite as

Ecological and Health Risks at Low Doses

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Abstract

The concept of “dose makes the poison” has been attributed to Paracelsus who lived in the 1500s. The goal of much of modern toxicology and pharmacology has since been to define the precise biological factors that dictate the relationship between dose and response following exposure to chemicals. One of the major challenges in risk assessment more recently appreciated is the difficulty in predicting with statistical certainty adverse effects at low doses when the probability of response in a population is low [1]. The nature of the risks at low doses may be qualitatively different from the nature of the risks at high doses. In other words, the risk at low doses is not just a smaller version of the risk at high doses, because the mechanism(s) responsible for the risk at low doses is often different.

This chapter was originally published as part of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology edited by Robert A. Meyers. DOI:10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3

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Abbreviations

Acclimation:

A decline in response with previous exposure.

Adaptation:

Physiological changes that increase the fitness of a population in response to chronic exposure.

Epigenetic:

Mechanisms of altered gene expression that do not change primary DNA sequence.

Hormesis:

A beneficial effect from a low dose of a “poison” or contaminant.

NOAEL:

No-observed-adverse-effect level is the highest treatment level from which the response does not differ statistically from control groups.

Threshold dose:

Dose required to produce a measurable response.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Environmental Toxicology Research Program, University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy, University, MS, 38677, USA

    Kristine L. Willett

  2. Engineer Research and Development Center-Environmental Lab, Concord, MA, 01742, USA

    Christy M. Foran

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  1. Kristine L. Willett
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Correspondence to Kristine L. Willett .

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  1. , School of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 70803, Louisiana, USA

    Edward A. Laws

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Willett, K.L., Foran, C.M. (2013). Ecological and Health Risks at Low Doses. In: Laws, E. (eds) Environmental Toxicology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5764-0_8

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