ABSTRACT
Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. It is critical for the practicing safety professional, at all levels, to have a solid understanding of basic toxicology.1 Hemlock, opium and toxic metals, such as antimony, copper, and lead were described as early as 1500 BC. The Greek physician Dioscorides (ca. AD 50-90) attempted to classify poisons into three categories, plant , animal, and mineral poisons. In the fteenth century, physicians recognized that certain occupations were exposed to toxic substances. Workers involved in goldsmithing, mining, printing, and pottery making were exposed to lead and mercury, which was documented in “On the Miner’s Sickness and Other Diseases of Miners” (Paracelsus, 1567) and “Discourse on the Diseases of Workers,” (Ramazzini, 1700). Paracelsus is often referred to as the father of toxicology.
