Why the Dose Matters: Assessing the Health Risk of Exposure to Toxicants

Each day we are exposed to a myriad of natural and human-made chemicals in our food, drinking water, air, soil, at home or at the workplace--pesticide residues, food additives, drugs, household products--but how can we gauge the human health risk posed by these chemicals? Should we believe the somber headlines that depict a serious threat for humans and the environment, or should we follow the reassuring voices of others who claim that the angst is totally unfounded?

Why the Dose Matters: Assessing the Health Risk of Exposure to Toxicants uses a rational, science-based approach to explain in plain language that a quantitative view is key for understanding and predicting potentially toxic effects of chemicals.

Key Features:

• Explains the basics of toxicology in easily understandable terms.
• Includes numerous examples.
• Clears up common misconceptions and dispels myths.
• Provides take-home messages for each chapter.

This book is aimed at interested laypeople. It uses numerous examples to illustrate the basic concepts and ensure that the reader will get a better understanding of why not only the hazard but also the overall exposure will determine whether some chemicals pose a serious risk while others are of little or negligible concern.