ABSTRACT
The U.S. Society of Toxicology (SOT) developed the following definition of toxicology in 2005:
This definition reflects the multidisciplinary nature of toxicology. Indeed, toxicology data and information can be distributed via a number of resources such as paper and electronic journals and books, databases, websites, professional societies, trade associations, and government organizations. Data are generated from laboratory animal or
in vitro
studies (e.g., cell culture), or via
in silico
methods (i.e., using computer programs to estimate the toxicity of chemicals). In addition, limited ethically responsible human studies can provide a degree of toxicology and safety information.
