Understanding Toxicology: A Biological Approach

Understanding Toxicology is a comprehensive study of toxicants and their impact on all levels of biology--from cell, to complex organism, to ecosystem. Unlike other texts of its kind, this text is uniquely structured by biological system, making it easy for readers to understand the impact of toxins on each system. Common mechanisms are explored in the cellular and complex organ system chapters to approach a systems biology perspective that is more applicable to modern computational toxicology risk assessment. Understanding Toxicology begins with three research questions that challenge the reader to discover what information is needed to solve controversies at the level of the cell, the complex organism, and the ecosystem. The book continues with a cellular, complex organism, and ecosystem analysis of toxicology principles including risk assessment. The cellular section follows common mechanisms from the outside to the inside of cells and individual organelles. A forensic approach analyzes complex organisms from outside to inside. The ecosystem section starts with a dispersion approach to determine environmental concentration and addresses toxicants in divisions similar to how the EPA determines impacts. Key Features • Uses lively, engaging examples making the text fun and easy to read and understand • Allows the reader to approach the subject from a research perspective as well as a public policy perspective • Covers biological toxicants including venoms, poisons, as well as microbial and fungal toxins, and plant toxins • Thoroughly covers all organisms including fish, plants, and microbes • Includes outlines and review questions in each chapter