What is Environmental Toxicology?
Environmental toxicology is a multidisciplinary field of science that focuses on studying the effects of manmade and natural chemical, biological, and physical agents on living organisms in their natural habitats. Environmental toxicology employs risk assessment principles where the potential toxicity of a chemical is examined relative to exposure of the target population. Environmental toxicologists work in academia, government agencies, and industry. They apply principles of chemical fate and transport in the environment, epidemiology and species differences to evaluate potential toxic impacts on ecosystems and human health. An important part of this evaluation is understanding the dose-response relationship for a toxicologic effect relative to exposure to that chemical.