toxicology
Meaning of toxicology: Toxicology examines how chemicals and other substances harm the body, guiding the diagnosis and management of poisoning cases.
Definition of toxicology
Toxicology is the scientific study of the harmful effects that chemicals, drugs, and other substances can have on living organisms. It examines where a harmful substance comes from, how it enters and affects the body, and the relationship between the amount of exposure and the severity of the resulting effect.
Toxicology overlaps with pharmacology, the study of how drugs act on the body, since many substances studied in toxicology are medications that become harmful at doses higher than intended or when combined with other substances.
Applied areas within toxicology include clinical toxicology, which focuses on diagnosing and managing poisoning in patients, as well as forensic, environmental, and occupational toxicology, each examining how harmful substances affect health in a different setting or context.
Used in a sentence
A toxicology screen was ordered to identify the substance responsible for the patient's symptoms.
Good to know
Toxicology emphasizes that the severity of a substance's effect generally depends on the amount of exposure, meaning even an otherwise harmless substance can become toxic at a sufficiently high dose.
Word origin
Where “toxicology” comes from
Formed from Greek toxikon, meaning poison, originally referring to poison used on arrows, and logos, meaning study.