Books On Toxicology

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Jarrell Campbell

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Aug 5, 2024, 2:20:05 AM8/5/24

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Overallthe text is very comprehensive and all relevant subjects are covered. I appreciate that both the environmental aspects as well as the toxicology are given similar attention - often there is more focus on one vs. the other in textbooks...read more

Overall, the text is very comprehensive and all relevant subjects are covered. I appreciate that both the environmental aspects as well as the toxicology are given similar attention - often there is more focus on one vs. the other in textbooks like this. My only misgiving is that there is a focus on European chemical regulations, but not any mention or detail on non-European regulations. Obviously this is understandable given that the author(s) are European, but I could envision having to supplement this portion of the text when I teach a course.

The book captures the current state of understanding in this field quite well, and I feel it will stand the test of time. The main section that would likely need to be updated is the one that outlines specific classes of chemicals that are used, but this would be straightforward to update.

The text is written well for an undergraduate science audience - it assumes little prior knowledge of the relevant basic chemistry and biology concepts, and explains these at a good level before discussing their application in environmental toxicology.

The text is readily divided into smaller sections, and even includes some short reflection/assessments at the end of each section. This would be really apt for assigning reading in a course. I could envision using portions of this book rather than the entire thing, with little adverse consequence.

The interface and typesetting is the book's biggest weakness. Several tables are split across pages. Mathematical and chemical equations are not formatted properly, which leads to confusion. The latter half of the book is in italic font for some reason. Some chemical structures are rather large, while others are small. Also, the table and figure numbering is not conducive for a book of this page length - each table/figure should really have a unique identifier and ideally, there should be an index of tables and figures.

The text is not culturally insensitive, and in fact, in the history section, the text made very clear that Indigenous people have important local knowledge relevant to environmental toxicology, and are not in the past, but rather still here in the present.

Overall the topics covered in this text are broad and provide a great overview for current relevant topics such as POPs, metals, pharmaceuticals and many more. Some modules have short clips or animations that allow for more illustration of the...read more

The final chapter focuses on regulatory toxicology in Europe - while this is great for students in Europe, there may be the need to consider shorter sections for other continents (even a brief mention will do) to give the text even more international relevance.

The text is quite accurate and there are no unfounded statements. There are appropriate references for the main ideas. The references section is rather short and the reader can check those out for further reading and detailed information.

Certainly, this text covers very relevant topics in the field of environmental toxicology. For instance, primary and secondary microplastics, nanomaterials as well as complex mixtures are current hot topics and this text introduces the reader to current literature on these.

The text is very consistent in its framework. Terms are defined appropriately. While it may have been helpful to group terms and definitions preferably at the end of each chapter, definitions are interspersed throughout each section and that also works well.

This text is divided into sections that are manageable that can be assigned for reading (even during class) to help address in-class discussions and to answer short answer/1-2 paragraph type questions for homework assignments.

This text is well organized and modules are introduced in a decent order. The final section on page 823/824 of this current version seems to be in Dutch and needs to be translated into English to help English readers find other important materials (e.g. the YouTube video appears to be referenced on this page as well)

While the figures are informative and help drive home key points, the labels and clarity can be improved. For instance, some figures seem to be truncated (at the time of this review) and individual chapter labels can be provided to help orient the leader (eg Fig 1 in Chapter 4 can be labelled as Fig 4.1 while figure 1 in chapter 3 can also be labelled as Fig 3.1).

This textbook provides comprehensive coverage on the areas and topics of Environmental Toxicology. Unlike some other textbooks of Environmental Toxicology, which are primarily built upon textbooks of Toxicology with some additional sections on...read more

The numbering system used in the book for figures and tables should be modified. For a textbook of this size, each table and figure should have a unique number for quick tracking, a similar numbering method should be applied to the equations as well (currently the equations were indexed in some of the chapters).

Regarding terminology and framework, the text is relatively consistent. However, the book should keep the format and style of the figures with the captions consistent. For example, the color of the words of figure numbers should be consistent. Additionally, for plots that were generated by authors (not directly cited from other publications), the textbook should keep the style as consistent as possible (e.g., the color of the curve, the font of the plot caption).

The textbook did an excellent job separating the contents in a very organized way. Instead of organizing the sections according to various types of toxicities, the book presents the topics based on the related components in environmental toxicology, namely environmental chemistry, environmental exposure sciences, toxicology, population and ecosystem ecotoxicology, risk assessment and regulation. Each of the sections can be used independently or used as supporting materials in other courses/subjects.

The organization of the topics has been appreciated many times in this review. The topics have been organized in an uncommon way but very reasonable way. I would recommend such an organizational method being applied to other specific areas of toxicology.

This open online textbook on Environmental Toxicology aims at covering the field in its full width, including aspects of environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, toxicology and risk assessment. With that, it will contribute to improving the quality, continuity and transparency of the education in environmental toxicology. We also want to make sure that fundamental insights on fate and effects of chemicals gained in the past are combined with recent approaches of effect assessment and molecular analysis of mechanisms causing toxicity.

The book consists of six chapters, with each chapter being divided into several sub-chapters to enable covering all aspects relevant to the topic. All chapters are designed in a modular way, which each module having clear training goals and being flagged with a number of keywords. Most modules have an average length of 1000-2000 words, a limited number of references, and 3-5 figures and/or tables. A few modules are enlighted with short clips, animations or movies to allow better illustration of the theory. The introduction chapter of the book, for instance, contains a short interview with two key experts reflecting on the development of the field over the past 30 years.

The book contains tools for self-study and training, like a (limited) number of questions at the end of each module. For the future we foresee the addition of separate exercises and other tools that may help the student in understanding the theory.

Cornelis A.M. (Kees) van Gestel is professor of Ecotoxicology of Soil Ecosystems at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. He has been working on different aspects of soil ecotoxicology, including toxicity test development, bioavailability, mixture toxicity, toxicokinetics, multigeneration effects and ecosystem level effects. His main interest is in linking bioavailability and ecological effects.

Green toxicology is an integral part of green chemistry. One of the key goals of green chemistry is to design less toxic chemicals. Therefore, an understanding of toxicology and hazard assessment is important for any chemist working in green chemistry, but toxicology is rarely part of most chemists' education. As a consequence, chemists lack the toxicological lens necessary to view chemicals in order to design safer substitutions. This book seeks to fill that gap and demonstrate how a basic understanding of toxicology, as well as the tools of in silico and in vitro toxicology, can be an integral part of green chemistry. R&D chemists, product stewards, and toxicologists who work in the field of sustainability, can all benefit from integrating green toxicology principles into their work.

Searching in a library catalog requires looking for broader topics such as mercury toxicity or ecotoxicology of insects rather than the more specific mercury toxicity in anadromous fish or ecotoxicology of pesticides on honeybees

For an excellent, authoritative introduction to environmental toxicology, consult this 2019 open online textbook which is being continuously updated Environmental Toxicology . This open online text covers "the field in its full width, including aspects of environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, toxicology and risk assessment, ... [the text provides] :fundamental insights on fate and effects of chemicals ... effect assessment and molecular analysis of mechanisms causing toxicity." The six chapters are: environmental toxicology introduction; environmental chemistry and chemicals; environmental chemistry, from fate to exposure; toxicology; population, community and ecosystem ecotoxicology; and risk assessment and regulation.