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Risk Assessment of Chemicals pp 147–174Cite as

Toxicity Testing and Human Health

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Abstract

“Toxicology is the scientific discipline involving the study of actual or potential danger presented by the harmful effects of substances in living organisms and ecosystems, of the relationship of such harmful effects to exposure and of the mechanism of action, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of intoxications” [1]. Paracelsus’ saying: “Dosis sola facit venemum” (it is the dose which makes the poison) is well-known and depicts a property inherent to almost every chemical: at a certain dose effects are inevitable. Whereas toxicity testing in the past was carried out using non-standardized methods, today many standardized test systems are available for the investigation of specific aspects of toxicity in experimental animal and in vitro systems. In addition, controlled studies in humans are increasingly used. Indeed, over the past two or three decades toxicology has emerged as a mature science, in which routine toxicity testing has evolved a protocol-driven, “cook-book” approach, which may occasionally make one forget that toxicity testing should also be an “art”.

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Authors
  1. R. Kroes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, The Hague & Research Institute of Toxicology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

    C. J. van Leeuwen

  2. Research Institute of Toxicology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

    J. L. M. Hermens

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Kroes, R. (1995). Toxicity Testing and Human Health. In: van Leeuwen, C.J., Hermens, J.L.M. (eds) Risk Assessment of Chemicals. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8520-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8520-0_5

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