ABSTRACT
This chapter points-out that fish skin has a number of vital functions, many of which could be life threatening if perturbed beyond certain limits. These limits must be better explored and understood with respect to this organ's normal function before any consistent use of skin as a target organ in aquatic toxicity and environmental risk assessment. The chapter lays a foundation from which this understanding of skin as a target organ and chemical exchange surface in aquatic toxicology can grow. It aims to acquaint the reader with the normal histologic structure-function of fish skin and its physiologic and toxicokinetic functions. The chapter presents what is known about the toxicity of specific chemicals, the types of lesions that they cause, and the impact that they have on normal skin structure-function. It brief discusses future skin toxicology research needs.
