PHAR 1001 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Toxicant, Bioaccumulation, Teratology
Document Summary
A teratogen is a chemical that produces effects when taken orally but not when inhaled. Some naturally occurring chemicals can produce very specific toxic effects. An air pollution episode has killed thousands of people. Some toxic chemicals build up to unhealthy levels in some species of fish but not other species of fish. Some air pollutants build up to unhealthy levels only at certain times of the day during certain parts of the year. The toxic effects of chemicals that tend to worry most people the least are birth defects and cancer. The term toxicity describes the maximal capacity of a chemical to produce harm. Sugar is an example of a natural chemical that is toxic. Since natural chemicals are perfectly safe, it is reasonable to expect that man-made chemicals be manufactured so that they are perfectly safe too. Accidents involving a toxic chemical rarely provide data on the toxic effects of that chemical on man.
