ABSTRACT
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The chapters in this book set out the state-of-the-science for particle toxicology as it pertains in the
early twenty-first century. It points out the maturity of this area of applied science, and toxicology
is, above all, an applied science. Toxicology’s primary aim is to provide hazard data for risk
assessment towards safe ways of working and living with the chemicals we encounter on a daily
basis, which all have inherent toxicity for biological systems. In particle toxicology, we seek to
provide the data that will allow us to manage the risk associated with living in atmospheres that are
often complex mixtures of particles of varying toxicity. However, mechanistic particle toxicology
crosses over into mainstream molecular medicine and can provide important clues to the basis of
other types of disease. Our studies of the cardiovascular system, oxidative stress and molecular
signaling in relation to particles offer an understanding that is generally applicable. This is
eminently clear from the pages of this book where high quality and innovative research approaches
are demonstrated in addressing the issues relating to particle effects. This chapter aims to draw
together the various threads in the fabric of particle toxicology and present a new unifying concept,
albeit simplified and incomplete, for this discipline.
