Toxicology is the scientific study of the adverse effects that chemical, physical, or biological agents have on living organisms. Often summarized by Paracelsus’s maxim, "the dose makes the poison," the field focuses on how the amount and duration of exposure determine the severity of a toxic response.
: The four critical processes that determine a chemical's fate in the body: A bsorption, D istribution, M etabolism, and E xcretion. An Introduction to Toxicology
: A process where a relatively harmless substance is converted by the body into a toxic metabolite, potentially leading to cancer or organ damage. Major Subdisciplines The field is categorized by how toxicological data is used: Toxicology is the scientific study of the adverse
: Foreign substances (like drugs or environmental pollutants) that are not naturally found in the body. : A process where a relatively harmless substance