Toxicology Terms
Toxicology Enrichment Materials
Bioaccumulate
The increased concentration of harmful substances in tissues of organisms
higher up the food chain
Biotransformation
The sum of the processes by which a xenobiotic is subjected to chemical
change by living organisms
Carcinogen
Any substance that causes cancer
Mutagen
Any substance that causes DNA damage, ranging from changes in one or a
few base pairs to gross changes in chromosome structure or number
Pollutant
A substance present in greater than natural concentration as a result
of human activity and having a net detrimental effect on its environment
Risk
Probability a substance will cause harm under specific conditions of use,
i.e., hazard
Teratogen
Any substance that causes fetal malformations (birth defects)
Toxic
substance (regulatory term)
Any substance that can cause acute or chronic injury to the human body
or is suspected to do so; US National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health publishes a list of toxic substances
Toxicant
Any agent capable of producing a deleterious response in a biological
system
Toxicologist
A scientist specially trained to examine the nature of these adverse effects
and to assess the probability of their occurrence
Toxicology
The study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms
Toxicosis
A diseased condition resulting from poisoning
Toxigenic
An organism producing toxins or poisons
Toxin
A poisonous substance of natural origin (plant, animal, bacterial, fungal)
Toxoid
A toxin that has been treated to destroy its toxicity
Xenobiotic
Compounds exogenous (external) to normal metabolism of the organism, i.e.,
foreign compounds
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