Today, we are surrounded by a multitude of different chemicals that are essential components of our everyday life. As a consequence, there are various hazardous substances like dioxins, phthalates and flame-retardants circulating in the environment. These have an impact on ecosystems, wildlife and possibly human health. In recent years, the phenomenon called endocrine disruption has raised considerable concern. This book discusses the scientific basis of this issue using epidemiological and experimental in vitro and in vivo data about chemicals targeting the hormonal systems. It also provides an up-to-date review of international initiatives (including high-throughput screening, use of model organisms and in silico applications) aiming to screen, detect and functionally test these chemicals. The authors are highly experienced academics and acknowledged experts with both multidisciplinary and international expertise. The book provides an up-to-date, in-depth review of the current field of food safety research describing many of the "hot topics" currently debated. Recent media attention concerning, for example, dioxins in meat and bisphenol A in baby bottles has created a growing interest in food safety-related issues from both consumers and authorities. In addition, European legislation REACH, which requires industry to extensively test chemicals, has led to new initiatives within this area. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the recent international initiatives formed to meet the challenges of environmental pollutants in our food.

The potential impact of anthropogenic pollutants such as agrochemicals on the environment is of global concern. Increasing use of certain compounds can result in contamination of food, water and atmospheric systems and in order to combat this pollution it is important to be able to accurately monitor the short and long term effects. This book describes the latest non-traditional terrestrial species models used as indicators of the toxic effects of environmental pollutants. The book enables understanding of the effects of pollutants in non-target species, and therefore enables analysis of the effects on ecosystems. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in developing new biomarker species with high degrees of ecological relevance. It will serve as a useful resource for regulatory and research toxicologists, particularly those interested in soil screening and the effects of pollutants on wildlife and insects and their use as biological indicators.

Latin America is one of the most diverse but also vulnerable regions in the world that is under continuous anthropogenic pressure due to increasing urban, industrial and agricultural developments. Although there are many research groups studying the impacts caused by those pressures, the results and conclusions obtained by many of them are largely unknown because their studies are mostly published at the local or regional scale. Ecotoxicology in Latin America represents an effort to collect and share research performed in Latin America in the area of ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment, presenting a collection of relevant and innovative studies focused on the following topics: (i) Contaminant entrance, transportation, distribution and fate; (ii) Environmental risk in freshwater ecosystems; (iii) Ecological risk in coastal zones; (iv) Biomonitoring programs: water, sediment and air; (v) Physiological effects and biomarkers; (vi) Soil ecotoxicology; (vii) Bioaccumulation and human risk; (viii) Toxicity of emerging contaminants; and (ix) Frontiers in Ecotoxicology. This selection of topics aims at covering the most important subjects and applications of ecotoxicology, including classical and novel subjects. Therefore, this book contains chapters related to different environmental compartments prone to contamination (water, sediment, soil and air), to different contamination sources (agriculture, industry, urban discharges and natural emissions), and to multiple biological responses at different organizational levels (individual to ecosystems, including human beings). It is envisioned to have an international projection within and beyond Latin American countries, as it is a great opportunity to increase the networks not only among Latin American research teams working on similar subjects, but also with teams from other regions. The idea of this book was to favor the connection among groups to quickly improve the development of methods and their application in ecotoxicological and environmental risk studies in Latin America. This book will be useful to important sectors of environmental sciences and related areas, and to specific target demographics such as students and researchers acting in environmental studies, and decision-makers (i.e., politicians and environmental organizations). Ecotoxicology in Latin America presents 34 chapters authored by 111 researchers from 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela) and from 6 non-Latin American countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and USA).

The rapid expansion of the nanotechnology field raises concerns, like any new technology, about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials. This book addresses the gaps relating to health and safety issues of this field and aims to bring together fragmented knowledge on nanosafety. Not only do chapters address conventional toxicity issues, but also more recent developments such as food borne nanoparticles, life cycle analysis of nanoparticles and nano ethics. In addition, the authors discuss the environmental impact of nanotechnologies as well as safety guidelines and ethical issues surrounding the use of nanoparticles. In particular this book presents a unique compilation of experimental and computational perspectives and illustrates the use of computational models as a support for experimental work. Nanotoxicology: Experimental and Computational Perspectives is aimed towards postgraduates, academics, and practicing industry professionals. This highly comprehensive review also serves as an excellent foundation for undergraduate students and researchers new to nanotechnology and nanotoxicology. It is of particular value to toxicologists working in nanotechnology, chemical risk assessment, food science, environmental, safety, chemical engineering, the biological sciences and pharmaceutical research.

Consumer and environmental protection depend on the careful regulation of all classes of chemicals. Toxicology is the key science used to evaluate safety and so underpins regulatory decisions on chemicals. With the growing body of EU legislation involved in chemical regulation, there is a concomitant need to understand the toxicological principles underlying safety assessments Regulatory Toxicology in the European Union is the first book to cover regulatory toxicology specifically in Europe. It addresses the need for a wider understanding of the principles of regulatory toxicology and their application and presents the relationship between toxicology and legislative processes in regulating chemical commodities across Europe. This title has a broad scope, covering historical and current chemical regulation in Europe, the role of European agencies and institutions, and also the use of toxicology data for important classes of chemicals, including human and veterinary medicines, animal feed and food additives, biocides, pesticides and nanomaterials. This book is therefore extremely pertinent and timely in the toxicology field at present. This book is an essential reference for regulatory authorities, industrialists, academics, undergraduates and postgraduates working within safety and hazards, toxicology, the biological sciences, and the medicinal and pharmaceutical sciences across the European Union.

This glossary addresses the need for harmonised toxicology terminology. Fully comprehensive and rigorously reviewed by IUPAC Committees, it serves as the reference glossary for students and researchers in toxicology, and those involved in chemicals legislation, regulation and risk assessment. Toxicology uses terminology from chemistry, medicine, geology, botany, zoology, ecology, and veterinary medicine, as well as some legal terms. Toxicology has become crucial to global trade in chemicals as legislation is increasingly co-ordinated around the world and is based on the classification of toxicity. Consistent terminology is crucial for effective legislation and trade in the modern world.

In areas where toxic algal blooms occur, the main affected organisms are shellfish, which, because of their high levels of filtration (clearance rate), accumulate high concentrations of nutrients and toxic phytoplankton in their visceral tissue. This accumulation of toxins in shellfish leads to a distribution of these toxins to their different non-visceral tissues. Chapter One of Marine Toxins: Detection Methods, Chemical and Biological Aspects and Health Effects discusses the detection and quantification of lipophilic marine biotoxins by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry from endemic species and gastropods. Chapter Two present studies which use the similarity analysis of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSP-toxins) profile patterns to analyse epidemiological linkage of a group of toxins contaminated bivalves collected between years 2004 and 2015. Chapter Three provide an overview of the current status of biomarker use in the assessment of the effects of marine toxins on bivalve mollusks. Chapter Four reviews the latest research on the biological and clinical effects of caulerpenyne.

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary metabolite of certain fungi that may be present in food and feed. Consumption of contaminated food or feed may be harmful for humans and animals. This book aims at giving an overview of several aspects of OTA and the public and economic benefits of reducing OTA contamination in food. Other chapters focus on the use of plant extracts, essential oils and substances isolated from them for the control of ochratoxigenic fungi and ochratoxin production and its carcinogenic effects on animals.

"Fish Physiology: Organic Chemical Toxicology of Fishes" discusses the different types of organic chemical contaminants and their respective toxic effects in fish. The book also covers the detection of dissolved organic compounds and methods to assess organic toxicity. Substances addressed in this book include organometallics, hydrocarbons, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), insecticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals.

Fish are exposed to an ever-increasing array of organic chemicals that find their way into rivers and oceans. Some of these compounds are no longer being produced but nonetheless persist within the environment (persistent organic pollutants, or POPs). The exposure of fish to toxic organic compounds has potential impact on human, fish, and ecosystem health. Yet the regulations that govern environmental water quality vary worldwide, and compliance is never complete. This book provides a crucial resource on these issues for researchers in zoology, fish physiology, and related fields; applied researchers in environmental monitoring, conservation biology, and toxicology; and university-level students and instructors in these areas.
Organized by type of toxic organic chemicalsIncludes metals, POPs, EDCs, herbicides, insecticides, and pharmaceuticalsMeasures toxicity in a variety of ways aside from lethalityProbes the toxic effects of compound mixtures as well as single pollutants

A xenobiotic is a chemical which is found in an organism but which is not normally produced or expected to be present in it. Specifically, drugs such as antibiotics are xenobiotics in humans because the human body does not produce them itself. In this new book, the authors present current research on xenobiotics including the potential effects of toxic agents on immune system function; medical strategies to prevent adverse effects of PAH-like anthropogenic xenobiotics; organophosphorus pesticides as dangerous xenobiotics for aquatic environments and phytoremediation for removal of organic xenobiotics from water.

Insects are more similar in structure and physiology to mammals than plants or fungi. Consequently, insecticides are often of greater toxicity to mammals than herbicides. This is particularly the case with neurotoxins. However, some insecticides are targeted at structures or hormonal systems specific to insects (insect growth regulators/chitin synthesis inhibitors) so are less harmful but can still be mildly haematotoxic. There are, therefore, issues specific to insecticides, which do not occur with other pesticides - hence the need for a book specifically on insecticide toxicology in mammals. The book starts with general issues relating to the mammalian toxicity of insecticides, including target/non-target specificity, nomenclature and metabolism of insecticides. It then goes on to discuss specific types of insecticides including: organochlorines; anticholinesterases; pyrethrum and synthetic pyrethroids; nicotine and the neonicotinoids; insect growth regulators/ecdysone agonists/chitin synthesis inhibitors; insecticides of natural origin; biological insecticides; and insecticides used in veterinary medicine.

Acute toxicology testing constitutes the first line of defense against potentially dangerous chemicals. This book provides a detailed presentation of protocols for each of the common designs, reviews their development and objectives, discusses the types of data they generate, and examines the current status of alternative test designs and models. For each test, applicable U.S. and international guidelines are also presented, and the formulation and selection of vehicles, dosages, and test animals are addressed.

The dependency of the human race on plants as renewable sources of many foodstuffs, drugs, textiles, fuel, and building materials in generally acknowledged. However, the harmful effects produced by certain plant constituents, which result in an increasing incidence of poisoning cases in the United States each year, are not so widely appreciated. This book is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on all substances from plants that are lethal or otherwise injurious to humans or livestock. Instead, owing to tremendous recent advances in the understanding of the chemical nature of their toxic principles, it reviews selected toxic plants which have been hitherto inadequately documented in previous texts.

This is the third volume of the five-volume book series "Engineering Tools for Environmental Risk Management". The book series deals with the following topics: * Environmental deterioration and pollution, management of environmental problems * Environmental toxicology - a tool for managing chemical substances and contaminated environment * Assessment and monitoring tools, risk assessment * Risk reduction measures and technologies * Case studies for demonstration of the application of engineering tools The authors aim to describe interactions and options in risk management by providing a broad scientific overview of the environment, its human uses and the associated local, regional and global environmental problems; interpreting the holistic approach used in solving environmental protection issues; striking a balance between nature's needs and engineering capabilities; understanding interactions between regulation, management and engineering; obtaining information about novel technologies and innovative engineering tools. This third volume provides an overview on the basic principles, concepts, practices and tools of environmental monitoring and contaminated site assessment. The volume focuses on those engineering tools that enable integrated site assessment and decision making and ensure an efficient control of the environment. Some topics supporting sustainable land use and efficient environmental management are listed below: * Efficient management and regulation of contaminated land and the environment; * Early warning and environmental monitoring; * Assessment of contaminated land: the best practices; * Environmental sampling; * Risk characterization and contaminated matrix assessment; * Integrated application of physical, chemical, biological, ecological and (eco) toxicological characterization methods; * Direct toxicity assessment (DTA) and decision making; * Online analyzers, electrodes and biosensors for assessment and monitoring of waters.; * In situ and real-time measurement tools for soil and contaminated sites; * Rapid on-site methods and contaminant and toxicity assessment kits; * Engineering tools from omics technologies, microsensors to heavy machinery; * Dynamic characterization of subsurface soil and groundwater using membrane interface probes, optical and X-ray fl uorescence and ELCAD wastewater characterization; * Geochemical modeling: methods and applications; * Environmental assessment using cyclodextrins. This book series focuses on the state of knowledge about the environment and its conscious and structured application in environmental engineering, management and decision making.

Around the World, metal pollution is a major problem. Conventional practices of toxic metal removal can be ineffective and/or expensive, delaying and exacerbating the crisis. Those communities dealing with contamination must be aware of the fundamentals advances of microbe-mediated metal removal practices because these methods can be easily used and require less remedial intervention. This book describes innovations and efficient applications for metal bioremediation for environments polluted by metal contaminates.

Building from the perspective of reproductive and developmental biology, Computational Methods for Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology provides a timely and comprehensive overview of approaches in reproductive and developmental toxicology. The book, which is part of the QSAR in Environmental and Health Sciences series, is divided into three broad sections. The first provides a review of methods and approaches to meet the need for safety assessments in product development and regulatory approaches for environmental chemicals. The next one reviews the biological processes and endpoints involved in reproduction and development. The final and largest section summarizes protocols for evaluating biological processes and endpoints within reproduction and development. It also discusses informatics resources and computational methods. The book takes a cross-disciplinary approach bringing together developmental, reproductive and systems biology, chemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, biostatistics, information sciences, bioinformatics, and computational approaches. This valuable resource provides those in the field with the necessary knowledge to evaluate both classic and recent approaches to characterize toxicity.

Multivariate analysis of the multi-component analytical profiles of carefully collected biofluid and/or tissue biopsy specimens can provide a 'fingerprint' of their biomolecular/metabolic status. Therefore, if applied correctly, valuable information regarding disease indicators, disease strata and sub-strata and disease activities can be obtained.

This exemplary new book highlights applications of these techniques in the areas of drug therapy and toxicology, cancer, obesity and diabetes, as well as outlining applications to cardiovascular, infectious, inflammatory and oral diseases in detail. The book gives particular reference to cautionary measures that must be applied to the diagnosis and classification of these conditions or physiological criteria. Comprehensively covering a wide range of topics, of particular interest is the focus on experimental design and 'rights and wrongs' of the techniques commonly applied by researchers, and the very recent development of powerful 'Pattern Recognition' techniques.

The book provides a detailed introduction to the area, applications and common pitfalls of the techniques discussed before moving into detailed coverage of specific disease areas, each highlighted in individual chapters. This title will provide an invaluable resource to Medicinal chemists, Biochemists and toxicologists working in industry and academia.

Security sensitive microbes (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites) and toxins, which are often referred to as the select agents and toxins, have the capacity to cause serious illness and death in humans, animals, and plants. Throughout history, these microbes and toxins have been exploited in one form or another as biowarfare and bioterror agents that create fear and panic well beyond any actual physical damages they might cause. Manual of Security Sensitive Microbes and Toxins provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of microbes and toxins of biosecurity concern. The ultimate goal is to increase our awareness of these agents and enhance our preparedness against any future bio-emergencies. The book begins with an introduction containing a brief overview of the historical aspects of security sensitive microbes and toxins. This is followed by a concise summary of the current status in relation to the regulation of security sensitive microbes and toxins and a discussion of future development trends. The book is divided into seven parts: Microbes and Toxins Affecting Humans and Animals: Viruses Microbes and Toxins Affecting Human and Animals: Bacteria Microbes and Toxins Affecting Human and Animals: Fungus and Parasite Microbes and Toxins Affecting Human and Animals: Toxins Microbes Affecting Animals: Viruses Microbes Affecting Animals: Bacteria Microbes Affecting Plants Written by experts in the relevant areas of research, the chapters are authoritative reviews, each one covering a single microbe or toxin with respect to its classification, biology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, identification, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The chapters also discuss the limitations of our current knowledge and challenges relating to improved detection and control of the microbe or toxin.

The congress "Arsenic in the Environment" offers an international, multi- and interdisciplinary discussion platform for arsenic research aimed at short-term solutions of problems with considerable social impact, rather than only focusing on cutting edge and breakthrough research in physical, chemical, toxicological, medical and other specific issues on arsenic on a broader environmental realm. The congress "Arsenic in the Environment" was first organized in Mexico City (As 2006 ) followed by As 2008 in Valencia, Spain. The Third International Congress As 2010 was held in Tainan, Taiwan from May 17-21, 2010 entitled: "Arsenic in Geosphere and Human Diseases". The session topics comprised: 1. Geology + hydrogeology of arsenic; 2. Ecological effects: Arsenic in soils, plants and food chain; 3. Marine + terrestrial biota; 4. Health effects on humans: Epidemiology + biomarkers; 5. Toxicological effects; 6. Assessment and remediation; 7. Analytical methods. Hosting this congress in Taiwan was especially relevant, because the endemic Blackfoot Disease, related to the arsenic uptake from drinking water supplied by artesian wells, was discovered here half a century ago. Since then Taiwan has become an important region specializing in arsenic research. This volume presents the extended abstracts of the congress and will give the latest state of the art knowledge based on current research performed by the global scientific community.

This book outlines some fields of cell diagnostics applied to allelopathy with several chapters devoted to cellular model systems for allelopathy, new methods of microscopy in cellular diagnostics and methods of analytical biochemistry and biophysics.

Reviews in Food and Nutrition Toxicity, Volume 4 includes the most recent reviews of current issues involved in the toxicity of food and nutrients. With contributors from the fields of medicine, public health, and environmental science, the continuation of this series distills a broad range of research on food safety and food technology.
Volume Four discusses:
The extent to which postnatal metal exposure through breastfeeding can impair an infant's health
Selenium bioavailability and metabolism, effects of selenium exposure, and mechanisms of selenium toxicity
The fate of toxic and nontoxic arsenic compounds in the human body upon ingestion
The biological role of sulfur, sulfur metabolism, deficiencies, and toxicity
The effects on fluoride on teeth, bones, kidneys, arteries, hormones, the brain, and the reproductive system
Food-borne disease outbreaks, microbial quality and risk assessment of food-borne microorganisms in ready to eat foods
Effect of T-2 toxin on DNA and chromosomes, circulatory system, skin, reproductive system, liver and spleen, gastrointestinal tract, brain and neurotransmitters, and more
Investigation of the interference of AFB1 with molecular components of cell cycle checkpoints
Analyzes cycad consumption and its effects on the neurological systems and its manifestations; describes bio-chemical changes and morphological or pathological outcomes through time in detail
Lectins in the human diet, toxicity and biological effects, immunomodulatory effects, modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in disease
This is a valuable resource for anyone involved in the food industry or academics researching food science and food technology.

This book presents refereed and edited papers from the 6th International Symposium on Poisonous Plants, held in Scotland in August 2001. It covers a range of topics from plant biochemistry to toxic effects in animals (particularly grazing farmed animals) and humans. The contents include the evolution of antinutrients and toxins in plants, biomedical applications of toxins in plants, isolation, identification and effects of plant and fungal toxins and the effect of plant toxins on aversion to plants in animal diets.

The Manual of Immunological Methods represents the collaboration of the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centers, a non-profit network of university-based scientists dedicated to research, training, risk assessment, and communication. This manual provides detailed immunological methods that can be utilized by researchers or practitioners who want to enhance the successful application of this science. It emphasizes the need for continuously improving the quality of experiments performed and maintaining consistency in the results obtained.
The Manual of Immunological Methods presents validated assays that are accompanied by a series of tools that will guide readers in performing their own laboratory work in the spirit of the Good Laboratory Practices. It covers specific methodologies including sample collection, preparation of cells, assay conditions, and data evaluation. Discussion of species differences and comparisons of a wide variety of species is an important feature. Both graduate students and practicing researchers in the areas of immunology and immunotoxicology will appreciate the Manual of Immunological Methods as a guide to standard operating procedures in the laboratory.