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A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919) and is derived from the word "toxic".
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants. The relationship between dose and its effects on the exposed organism is of high significance in toxicology. Factors that influence chemical toxicity include the dosage, duration of exposure, route of exposure, species, age, sex, and environment. Toxicologists are experts on poisons and poisoning. There is a movement for evidence-based toxicology as part of the larger movement towards evidence-based practices. Toxicology is currently contributing to the field of cancer research, since some toxins can be used as drugs for killing tumor cells. One prime example of this is ribosome-inactivating proteins, tested in the treatment of leukemia.
Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. Hazardous waste is a type of dangerous goods. They usually have one or more of the following hazardous traits: ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, toxicity. Listed hazardous wastes are materials specifically listed by regulatory authorities as hazardous wastes which are from non-specific sources, specific sources, or discarded chemical products. Hazardous wastes may be found in different physical states such as gaseous, liquids, or solids. A hazardous waste is a special type of waste because it cannot be disposed of by common means like other by-products of our everyday lives. Depending on the physical state of the waste, treatment and solidification processes might be required.
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ such as the liver (hepatotoxicity). Sometimes the word is more or less synonymous with poisoning in everyday usage.
Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm. Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemicals that can pollute the air and contaminate soil and water. Disposing of such waste is a major public health issue.
Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment affecting human health. In order to effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements that must be met in order to create a healthy environment must be determined. The major sub-disciplines of environmental health are environmental science, toxicology, environmental epidemiology, and environmental and occupational medicine.
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Carbophenothion also known as Stauffer R 1303 as for the manufacturer, Stauffer Chemical, is an organophosphorus chemical compound. It was used as a pesticide for citrus fruits under the name of Trithion. Carbophenothion was used as an insecticide and acaricide. Although not used anymore it is still a restricted use pesticide in the United States. The chemical is identified in the US as an extremely hazardous substance according to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
Methacrolein diacetate is a chemical compound with the molecular formula C8H12O4 and a molecular weight of 172.17848. It is a colorless liquid. It is listed as an extremely hazardous substance by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, and the National Institute of Health identifies it as "an irritant of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract."
Triazofos is a chemical compound used in acaricides, insecticides, and nematicides.
References
- ↑ Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). National Library of Medicine (US). 2006.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - 1 2 Fonger GC (1995). "Hazardous substances data bank (HSDB) as a source of environmental fate information on chemicals". Toxicology. 103 (2): 137–45. doi:10.1016/0300-483x(95)03145-6. PMID 8545846.
- 1 2 3 Fonger GC, Hakkinen P, Jordan S, Publicker S (2014). "The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): background, recent enhancements and future plans". Toxicology. 325: 209–16. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2014.09.003. PMC 4195797 . PMID 25223694.
- ↑ Fact Sheet – Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), National Library of Medicine, September 2006, retrieved 29 August 2009
- 1 2 "Fact Sheet – TOXNET®: Toxicology Data Network". United States National Library of Medicine. Toxicology Data Network. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ↑ "TOXNET Databases". United States National Library of Medicine. Toxicology Data Network. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
