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| Toxicity | |
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| The skull and crossbones is a common symbol for toxicity. |
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism.[1] 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.
A central concept of toxicology is that the effects of a toxicant are dose-dependent; even water can lead to water intoxication when taken in too high a dose, whereas for even a very toxic substance such as snake venom there is a dose below which there is no detectable toxic effect. Toxicity is species-specific, making cross-species analysis problematic. Newer paradigms and metrics are evolving to bypass animal testing, while maintaining the concept of toxicity endpoints.[2]
- ^ "Definition of TOXICITY". 30 July 2023. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ "Toxicity Endpoints & Tests". AltTox.org. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2012.