The Dose Makes the Poison

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The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain Language Guide to Toxicology
The Dose Makes the Poison A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology.jpg
3rd edition cover
AuthorM. Alice Ottoboni, Patricia Frank
LanguageEnglish
SubjectsToxicology
Publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Publication date
1984
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages262
ISBN 978-0-470-38112-0

The Dose That Makes the Poison: A Plain Language Guide to Toxicology is a book originally written by M. Alice Ottoboni and published in 1984 by Vincente Books to help laypeople understand what she considered to be an unfounded fear of synthetic chemicals. A second edition was published in 1991 and a third, revised by Patricia Frank, was released in 2011.

Contents

About the author

M. Alice Ottoboni is a toxicologist who served over twenty years in the California Department of Health Services. [1] Along with lecturing and consulting on toxicology and the environmental factors concerning public health, Ottoboni was also a scientific adviser to the American Council on Science and Health in New York. [2] [3]

Patricia Frank, president of a toxicology consultancy, revised the book for its third edition. She works with companies to develop and register pharmaceutical agents for use with humans and animals. Frank is a member and former president of the American College of Toxicology and Roundtable of Toxicology Consultants. [3]

"All chemicals follow the same rules: the laws of nature. By knowing these rules, I have a perspective that protects me from needless worry and unreasoning fear. My hope is that this book will give you the same perspective."

Alice Ottoboni [4]

Overview

The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, written by Ottoboni, in its first and second editions, focused mainly on environmental and industrial chemicals. The author, defining toxicology as "the study of adverse systemic effects of chemicals," [5] details factors which toxicologists use to determine the hazards of common chemicals to individuals: dose, duration, and route of exposure (dermal, inhalation, oral). [1] The age, sex, and general health of the individual also play a role in toxicity. [6] Ottoboni discusses the distinction between acute toxicity and chronic toxicity, suggesting ways to assess risk and avoid lethal doses or accidental poisonings. [1]

Ottoboni provides readers with information about mutagens, teratogens, and carcinogens, which cause systemic changes at a cellular level, and raises the question "Can the carcinogenicity of a chemical be separated from its toxicity?" Because of scientists' differing views on this question, Ottoboni advocates working with environmentalists, agriculture, industry, and government officials to develop a unifying theory, devise public policy, and put in place regulatory systems for the use of toxic substances. [1]

The third edition of The Dose Makes the Poison continues with these themes, but adds to the discussion "drugs, food additives, cosmetics, vitamins, second hand smoke, lead in toys imported from China, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) cyclooxyogenase (COX) issues, and bisphenyl A found in plastics." [7]

Reception

Ottoboni received praise for her measured, step-by-step approach to toxicology and writing style that makes accessible to non-scientists material that could otherwise be "overwhelmingly technical." [1] Examples and illustrations used in the book to reinforce concepts are "practical and realistic". Though not as detailed, referenced, or annotated as a toxicology textbook, The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain Language Guide to Toxicology, is recommended by reviewers as a basic guidebook and entry point in learning about the field of toxicology. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

In toxicology, the median lethal dose, LD50 (abbreviation for "lethal dose, 50%"), LC50 (lethal concentration, 50%) or LCt50 is a toxic unit that measures the lethal dose of a given substance. The value of LD50 for a substance is the dose required to kill half the members of a tested population after a specified test duration. LD50 figures are frequently used as a general indicator of a substance's acute toxicity. A lower LD50 is indicative of higher toxicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxicology</span> Study of substances harmful to living organisms

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison</span> Substance that causes death, injury or harm to organs

A poison is any chemical substance that is lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broad sense.

Acetonitrile, often abbreviated MeCN, is the chemical compound with the formula CH3CN and structure H3C−C≡N. This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile. It is produced mainly as a byproduct of acrylonitrile manufacture. It is used as a polar aprotic solvent in organic synthesis and in the purification of butadiene. The N≡C−C skeleton is linear with a short C≡N distance of 1.16 Å.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxicity</span> Degree of harmfulness of substances

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.

Bromomethane, commonly known as methyl bromide, is an organobromine compound with formula CH3Br. This colorless, odorless, nonflammable gas is produced both industrially and biologically. It has a tetrahedral shape and it is a recognized ozone-depleting chemical. It was used extensively as a pesticide until being phased out by most countries in the early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypermethrin</span> Chemical compound

Cypermethrin (CP) is a synthetic pyrethroid used as an insecticide in large-scale commercial agricultural applications as well as in consumer products for domestic purposes. It behaves as a fast-acting neurotoxin in insects. It is easily degraded on soil and plants but can be effective for weeks when applied to indoor inert surfaces. It is a non-systemic and non-volatile insecticide that acts by contact and ingestion, used in agriculture and in pest control products. Exposure to sunlight, water and oxygen will accelerate its decomposition. Cypermethrin is highly toxic to fish, bees and aquatic insects, according to the National Pesticides Telecommunications Network (NPTN). It is found in many household ant and cockroach killers, including Raid, Ortho, Combat, ant chalk, and some products of Baygon in Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hormesis</span> Characteristic of biological processes

Hormesis is a two-phased dose-response relationship to an environmental agent whereby low-dose amounts have a beneficial effect and high-dose amounts are either inhibitory to function or toxic. Within the hormetic zone, the biological response to low-dose amounts of some stressors is generally favorable. An example is the breathing of oxygen, which is required in low amounts via respiration in living animals, but can be toxic in high amounts, even in a managed clinical setting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbofuran</span> Toxic carbamate pesticide

Carbofuran is a carbamate pesticide, widely used around the world to control insects on a wide variety of field crops, including potatoes, corn and soybeans. It is a systemic insecticide, which means that the plant absorbs it through the roots, and from there the plant distributes it throughout its organs where insecticidal concentrations are attained. Carbofuran also has contact activity against pests. It is one of the most toxic pesticides still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parathion</span> Chemical compound

Parathion, also called parathion-ethyl or diethyl parathion and locally known as "Folidol", is an organophosphate insecticide and acaricide. It was originally developed by IG Farben in the 1940s. It is highly toxic to non-target organisms, including humans, so its use has been banned or restricted in most countries. The basic structure is shared by parathion methyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic toxicology</span> Use of toxicology for investigations

Forensic toxicology is a multidisciplinary field that combines the principles of toxicology with expertise in disciplines such as analytical chemistry, pharmacology and clinical chemistry to aid medical or legal investigation of death, poisoning, and drug use. The paramount focus for forensic toxicology is not the legal implications of the toxicological investigation or the methodologies employed, but rather the acquisition and accurate interpretation of results. Toxicological analyses can encompass a wide array of samples. In the course of an investigation, a forensic toxicologist must consider the context of an investigation, in particular any physical symptoms recorded, and any evidence collected at a crime scene that may narrow the search, such as pill bottles, powders, trace residue, and any available chemicals. Armed with this contextual information and samples to examine, the forensic toxicologist is tasked with identifying the specific toxic substances present, quantifying their concentrations, and assessing their likely impact on the individual involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirex</span> Chemical compound

Mirex is an organochloride that was commercialized as an insecticide and later banned because of its impact on the environment. This white crystalline odorless solid is a derivative of cyclopentadiene. It was popularized to control fire ants but by virtue of its chemical robustness and lipophilicity it was recognized as a bioaccumulative pollutant. The spread of the red imported fire ant was encouraged by the use of mirex, which also kills native ants that are highly competitive with the fire ants. The United States Environmental Protection Agency prohibited its use in 1976. It is prohibited by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Chemophobia is an aversion to or prejudice against chemicals or chemistry. The phenomenon has been ascribed both to a reasonable concern over the potential adverse effects of synthetic chemicals, and to an irrational fear of these substances because of misconceptions about their potential for harm, particularly the possibility of certain exposures to some synthetic chemicals elevating an individual's risk of cancer. Consumer products with labels such as "natural" and "chemical-free" appeal to chemophobic sentiments by offering consumers what appears to be a safer alternative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxicology testing</span> Biochemical process

Toxicology testing, also known as safety assessment, or toxicity testing, is the process of determining the degree to which a substance of interest negatively impacts the normal biological functions of an organism, given a certain exposure duration, route of exposure, and substance concentration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds</span> Class of chemical compounds

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are a group of chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. They are mostly by-products of burning or various industrial processes or, in the case of dioxin-like PCBs and PBBs, unwanted minor components of intentionally produced mixtures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin</span> Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, chemical compound

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (sometimes shortened, though inaccurately, to simply 'dioxin') with the chemical formula C12H4Cl4O2. Pure TCDD is a colorless solid with no distinguishable odor at room temperature. It is usually formed as an unwanted product in burning processes of organic materials or as a side product in organic synthesis.

Acute beryllium poisoning is acute chemical pneumonitis resulting from the toxic effect of beryllium in its elemental form or in various chemical compounds, and is distinct from berylliosis. After occupational safety procedures were put into place following the realization that the metal caused berylliosis around 1950, acute beryllium poisoning became extremely rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirosław Jan Stasik</span>

Mirosław Jan Stasik was a Polish medical doctor and research toxicologist.

Occupational toxicology is the application of toxicology to chemical hazards in the workplace. It focuses on substances and conditions that people may be exposed to in workplaces, including inhalation and dermal exposures, which are most prevalent when discussing occupational toxicology. These environmental and individual exposures can impact health, and there is a focus on identifying early adverse affects that are more subtle than those presented in clinical medicine.

Threshold dose is the minimum dose of drug that triggers minimal detectable biological effect in an animal. At extremely low doses, biological responses are absent for some of the drugs. The increase in dose above threshold dose induces an increase in the percentage of biological responses. Several benchmarks have been established to describe the effects of a particular dose of drug in a particular species, such as NOEL(no-observed-effect-level), NOAEL(no-observed-adverse-effect-level) and LOAEL(lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level). They are established by reviewing the available studies and animal studies. The application of threshold dose in risk assessment safeguards the participants in human clinical trials and evaluates the risks of chronic exposure to certain substances. However, the nature of animal studies also limits the applicability of experimental results in the human population and its significance in evaluating potential risk of certain substances. In toxicology, there are some other safety factors including LD50, LC50 and EC50.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Stenzel, Paulette L. (Spring 1986). "Review". Administrative Law Review. American Bar Association. 38 (2): 209–212. JSTOR   40709332.
  2. Doti, Rose (December 15, 1988). "Chemicals on the Menu". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. p. 41.
  3. 1 2 Wood, Laura (July 12, 2011). "Research and Markets: The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, Third Edition". Business Wire. New York. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  4. Netter, K.J. "Book Review: The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology". Toxicology. 290 (2): 359–360. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2011.10.003.
  5. Lowey, Mark (March 7, 1992). "Science of Toxicology". Calgary Herald. No. Final Edition. Alberta, Canada.
  6. Emsley, John (July 25, 2011). "The Dose Makes the Poison". Chemistry and Industry (14): 25.
  7. 1 2 Kapp, Robert W. Jr. (October 2011). "Review". International Journal of Toxicology. Sage. 30 (5): 591–593. doi: 10.1177/1091581811415961 . S2CID   70419854.
  8. Schnellmann, J.G. (September 2011). "The Dose Makes the Poison". Choice. American Library Association. 49 (1). doi:10.5860/CHOICE.49-0307.