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Types of Toxins

Types of Toxins

Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...

Toxic Reactions: Overview

Toxic Reactions: Overview

When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...

Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison

Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison

In cases of acute poisoning, the primary objective is to prevent further absorption of the toxic substance into the body. Immediate interventions using various decontamination techniques targeting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can achieve this. Decontamination is crucial to prevent poison from entering the systemic circulation, which involves washing affected areas with water and mild soap and removing contaminated clothing. Once external decontamination is done, attention must be turned to...

Microbial Bioremediation of Pesticides

Microbial Bioremediation of Pesticides

Pesticides often feature structurally complex chemical architectures, incorporating halogen groups and multiple aromatic rings. These characteristics confer high chemical stability, rendering many pesticides resistant to natural degradation processes. This resistance poses significant environmental concerns, as persistent pesticide residues can accumulate in ecosystems and affect non-target organisms.Despite the inherent stability of many pesticides, certain microorganisms possess the metabolic...

Bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Measuring Sub-23 Nanometer Real Driving Particle Number Emissions Using the Portable DownToTen Sampling System

Measuring Sub-23 Nanometer Real Driving Particle Number Emissions Using the Portable DownToTen Sampling System

Published on: May 22, 2020

Toxicity-informed control of global PM_2.5 emissions.

Haotian Zheng^1,2,3,4, Shuxiao Wang^2,5, Xiangdong Li³

¹Nanjing-Helsinki Institute in Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.

National Science Review

|June 29, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) toxicity varies by source. Residential solid-fuel combustion causes the most toxic pollution, especially in low-income nations, highlighting environmental inequities.

Keywords:

PM2.5 toxicity air pollution control environmental inequity global emission inventory

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Assessment of the Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Airborne Particles by Exposing Cultivated Human Lung Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface

Assessment of the Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Airborne Particles by Exposing Cultivated Human Lung Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface

Published on: February 23, 2020

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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Measuring Sub-23 Nanometer Real Driving Particle Number Emissions Using the Portable DownToTen Sampling System

Measuring Sub-23 Nanometer Real Driving Particle Number Emissions Using the Portable DownToTen Sampling System

Published on: May 22, 2020

Assessment of the Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Airborne Particles by Exposing Cultivated Human Lung Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface

Assessment of the Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Airborne Particles by Exposing Cultivated Human Lung Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface

Published on: February 23, 2020

Area of Science:

Environmental Health Science
Toxicology
Atmospheric Chemistry

Background:

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major global health risk.
Current air pollution policies often overlook varying toxicity across PM2.5 sources.
Understanding toxicity differences is crucial for effective pollution control.

Purpose of the Study:

To create the first global dataset of toxicity-adjusted PM2.5 emissions.
To identify emission sources with the highest toxic impact.
To reveal environmental inequities related to PM2.5 toxicity.

Main Methods:

Integration of cell-based toxicological data with global emission inventories.
Development of a toxicity-adjusted PM2.5 emissions dataset.
Comparative analysis of PM2.5 mass versus toxicity hotspots.

Main Results:

Global toxicity-adjusted PM2.5 emissions are primarily from residential solid-fuel combustion.
Significant divergence exists between PM2.5 mass and toxicity hotspots.
Highest toxicities are concentrated in regions using traditional biomass fuels.
Low-income countries show disproportionately high toxicity-adjusted emissions relative to energy use.

Conclusions:

Air pollution control strategies need to account for unequal PM2.5 toxicities.
Residential combustion should be a key focus for emission control, particularly in vulnerable regions.
A toxicity-informed framework can improve global health and sustainability outcomes.