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Single Substances Versus Combined Effects: Problems in Mixture Toxicology

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Regulatory Toxicology

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Abstract

Effective protection against harmful effects of toxic substance mixtures requires the ability to assess the combined risk potential of the various constituents. The biological impact of chemical mixtures may arise from independent, additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects of single constituents. Mathematical models may be used to characterize corresponding toxic effects. In most cases, models act on the assumption of independent effects or unknown mechanisms of action. However, a mechanistic understanding of interaction/s among mixture constituents, if available, is the best basis for quantitative predictions of the consequences of co-exposure to different stressors. In the following chapter, the possible modes of interaction of substance mixtures and the general mechanisms of interactions are described. Furthermore, formulae to quantify the combined risk of co-exposure to multiple substances are depicted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rudolf Boehm-Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Clinical Pharmacology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany

    Thomas R. H. Büch

  2. Leipzig University Cancer Center (UCCL), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany

    Eva A. M. Büch

  3. Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Ingrid Boekhoff & Thomas Gudermann

  4. The Edinburgh Centre of Toxicology, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    J. H. Duffus

Authors
  1. Thomas R. H. Büch
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  2. Eva A. M. Büch
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  3. Ingrid Boekhoff
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  4. J. H. Duffus
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  5. Thomas Gudermann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Gudermann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universität München Inst. Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, München, Germany

    Franz-Xaver Reichl

  2. Tübingen, Germany

    Michael Schwenk

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Büch, T.R.H., Büch, E.A.M., Boekhoff, I., Duffus, J.H., Gudermann, T. (2021). Single Substances Versus Combined Effects: Problems in Mixture Toxicology. In: Reichl, FX., Schwenk, M. (eds) Regulatory Toxicology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36206-4_56-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36206-4_56-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36206-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36206-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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