A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals

Everyday, we come into contact with many relatively harmless substances that could, at certain concentrations, be toxic. This applies not only to obvious candidates such as asbestos, lead, and gasoline, but also to compounds such as caffeine and headache tablets. While the field of toxicology has numerous texts devoted to aspects of biology, chemistry, and mechanism of action, the need remains for a book that places toxicology within the framework of our daily lives. A Small Dose of Toxicology presents the principles of toxicology by exploring the effects of common chemical agents such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. It reviews the fundamentals of dose-response and factors of individual sensitivity in regard to these drugs, and then applies this knowledge to environmental contaminates such as lead, arsenic, pesticides, mercury, and radiation. Chapters discuss neurotoxicology, risk assessment, carcinogenicity, and with a variety of specific toxic agents, with each chapter designed as a self-contained module to allow for flexibility in the selection of personal or academic material. Exploring current toxicology concerns within a human context, this text discusses how toxicology affects our everyday lives while providing insight into the broader issues of public health and disease prevention. Environmental and public health professionals, as well as novices and students requiring a basic foundation in toxicology will find this resource incredibly useful.