Climate Change and Environmental Health

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

Environmental toxicology  is concerned with the assessment of toxic constituents in the environment. There are many sources of environmental toxicity that can lead to the presence of toxicants in our food, water and air. These sources include organic and inorganic pollutants, pesticides and biological agents, all of which can have harmful effects on living organisms. There can be so called point sources of pollution, for instance the drains from a specific factory, but also non-point sources (diffuse sources) like the rubber from car tires that contain numerous chemicals and heavy metals that are spread in the environment.

Toxins affect the environment and organisms in a variety of ways, from having little negative impact on certain abiotic factors or resistant organisms to killing animals and destroying major components of ecosystems. The extent of damage depends on the type and structure of the toxic substance; the age, the size, and the species of the organism; and the temperature and the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment (whether terrestrial or aquatic). Knowledge of how these factors interact is critical to understanding how best to prevent or reduce exposure or remove a toxin from the environment (environmental remediation).

Importance of environmental toxicology

Environmental toxicology study has been providing tools and systematic evidence to policy-makers and the public in preventing significantly greater environmental degradation, including hostile human health impacts.

Assessment and monitoring of toxic substances

Toxins affect the environment and organisms in various forms having slight negative effect on certain abiotic factors and abolishing major components of ecosystems. The level of damage depends on the type and structure of the toxic substance.