Handbook of Toxicology

Although many view toxicology as a new science, since man discovered the medicinal properties of plants, it has been known that such materials could produce toxic effects. Recently, developments in analytical chemistry have advanced and specialized the field of toxicology. The analytical chemical approach has altered our thinking. We have become able to recognize smaller and smaller quantities of more and more chemicals. At times it would appear that this analytical approach has blunted our perception of the biological aspects of toxicology. In reality, newer developments have afforded broader insights and a wider range of concerns that are emphasized in this state-of-the-art text. Such concerns include the study of birth defects and chemical effects on the immune system; the worldwide use of pesticides, rodenticides, herbicides, and fungicides for increasing food production and permitting protection from various insects and animals that has resulted in many instances in human population poisonings; studies on the neurotoxicity and tolerance to the organophosphates in an effort to understand these important chemicals and develop better modalities to counter their adverse effects; and target organ toxicity involving the liver, kidney, and lungs. This book considers not only the student and clinician, but also the active practitioner of toxicological investigations. A broad but focused view of toxicology is presented by experts in the field, with particular emphasis on specific target organs and the current state-of-the-art concerns already mentioned, rather than on subjects such as carcinogenesis and mutagenesis that are thoroughly covered in numerous other texts. This unique text will serve to narrow the gaps in the existing knowledge base, gaps that must continue to be filled by ongoing and future research, thus expanding our collective knowledge of biological aspects of toxicology.