Environmental Toxicology, Introduction

Toxicology is the quantitative study of the effects of harmful substances or stressful conditions on organisms. This rather broad field is broken down into three major divisions: economic, forensic, and environmental toxicology. Economic toxicology is concerned with the deliberate use of toxic chemicals to produce harmful effects on target organisms such as bacteria, parasites, and insects. Forensic toxicology is concerned with the medical and legal aspects of the adverse effects of harmful chemicals and stressful conditions on humans.