Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Toxicology

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • 40 Accesses

Synonyms

Teratology

Definition

Toxicology is the branch of science that studies the adverse effects of chemicals and environmental exposures on living organisms. It includes aspects of biology, chemistry, and medicine in the scientific approaches used. It studies the symptoms, mechanisms, measurement, and treatment of poisonous substances that people and other living things are exposed to.

The science of toxicology identifies chemical compounds and environmental events that negatively impact health. It was initially considered as the study of poisons and has been expanded with the technological impact on the environment. The study of dose and effect is central to toxicology. Many compounds, such as lead, are toxic or harmful above certain levels of exposure. The risk for injury increases with the level of exposure. Toxicity refers to the biologic effect of a substrate or compound. The Society of Toxicology defines toxicology as “the study of the adverse effects of chemical, physical,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References and Reading

  • Halladay, A. K., Amaral, D., Ascher, M., Bolvar, V. J., Bowman, A., DiCicco, B. E., et al. (2009). Animal models of autism spectrum disorder: Information for neurotoxicologists. Neurotoxicology, 30(5), 811–821.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, Y. C., Keskin-Arslan, E., Acar, S., & Sozmen, K. (2017). Maternal SSRI discontinuation, use, psychiatric disorder and the risk of autism in children: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 83(12), 2798. PMID:28734011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam, J., Sutton, P., Kalkbrenner, A., Windham, G., Halladay, A., Koustas, E., Lawler, C., Davidson, L., Daniels, N., Newschaffer, C., & Woodruff, T. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of multiple airborne pollutants and autism Spectrum disorder. PLoS One, 11(9), e0161851. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161851. PMID:27653281.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Society for Toxicology. www.toxicology.org. Accessed 24 Sept 2017.

  • Winneke, G. (2011). Developmental aspects of environmental neurotoxicology: Lessons from lead and polychlorinated biphenyls. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 308(1–2), 9–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division Chief Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, University of Rochester Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester, NY, USA

    Susan Hyman

Authors
  1. Susan Hyman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan Hyman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Hyman, S. (2018). Toxicology. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_42-3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_42-3

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation