Michael Dourson: A colleague's take on toxicology

I came across this article by one of my colleagues, Susan Goldhaber, and found that it contained a lot of what I have been trying to convey over the last several months, but in much more delightful and entertaining format. I have shortened it below with her permission. Here is the link to the original article, which appeared on the website of the American Council on Science and Health. — Michael Dourson

Every time you turn on the TV or read a news article touching on medicine, the environment, or health, chances are you'll run across a story that's impacted by toxicology. And more times than not, we are left with the question: What information is essential to understanding this story?

Here are a few news stories (advertisements?) that you may have encountered:

• You may have been poisoned by the drinking water at Camp LeJeune and could receive compensation;• The “forever” chemicals found in pots and pans are linked to liver cancer;• Lead has been found in spices, including turmeric and saffron;• Doctors use experimental drug to save a woman who accidentally ate a “death cap” mushroom;• Shampoos recalled due to elevated levels of benzene;• New York bans glyphosate (Round-up®) from use on state properties.

The common element in all these stories? They may involve exposure to a toxic level of the chemical in question.

The origins of toxicology

It began more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece and Rome, where deliberate poisonings of food with plant and animal toxins were quite common. That is where the use of food tasters began. Dioscorides, a physician in the court of the Roman Emperor Nero, made the first known attempt to classify poisons, complete with descriptions and drawings.

In the late Middle Ages, Paracelsus, a physician-alchemist, is widely credited with laying out the foundations of toxicology that are still in place today. His quote, “What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing (is) without poison. Solely, the dose determines that a thing is not a poison.”

This quote is found in the introduction to almost every toxicology textbook today and cited endlessly by toxicology professors. Paracelsus’ thinking was revolutionary, especially his idea that experiments might be helpful to determine the toxic effects of chemicals and that a distinction between the helpful and harmful effects of chemicals was important (think botox here).

The development of toxicology as a more modern science was often in response to tragic events. For example, in the early 1900s, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (The Wiley Act) that prevented “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs or medicines, and liquors.” This legislation was partly in response to numerous poisoning incidents from homemade remedies and medical quackery that had become a major industry in the U.S. by the middle of the 19th century. These remedies were often high in alcoholic content and included morphine, opium, or cocaine, which were frequently advertised for infants and children, with tragic results.

But this was not the only motivation. For example, Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” published in 1906, highlighted the unsanitary and health violations in the meat-packing industry, which led to public demand for government regulation of foods. Back in the day, as well as today, Americans expected to be able to drink safe water, eat safe foods, and use medicines that worked and were safe.

This regulatory focus remained primarily on food and drugs until the 1960s, which saw the development of methods that could identify chemicals in much smaller amounts, in the range of parts per billion (one sugar grain from a packet of sugar in one liter of water is about 50 parts per billion). In 1970, as a result of several highly publicized incidents, including Love Canal and Kepone contamination in the James River, legislation greatly expanded with the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its focus on toxic levels of chemicals in air, water, and land.

Toxicology as a scientific field

Like many areas of science, toxicology is diverse in areas, such as:

• Clinical: Physicians who receive specialized training in poison management and developing treatments for patients poisoned with drugs or chemicals.• Forensic: Primarily involved with establishing the cause of death and determining its circumstances in postmortem investigations.• Environmental: Examining the effects of low levels of chemicals in the environment on humans, animals, and plants.

Over the last 50 years, environmental toxicology has rapidly expanded and evolved. Most of the stories featured in the media, such as those mentioned above, involve this area, because it is here where “safe” levels are estimated for chemicals in the air, food, and water based on studies in experimental animals, and sometimes from human exposures.

A strategy to avoid chemophobia — fear of chemicals

When you are watching a story on the news with a sensational headline, before you jump to a conclusion or panic, listen for:

• The name and amount of the chemical,• How folks are exposed to the chemical,• And consider the source of the study, the researchers or sponsors. Ask yourself why they may have conducted the study.

If you do not hear these factors, perhaps question the quality of the story. Of course, you can always send me a question or two about your concerns. I would be happy to answer them.

Michael Dourson is a local board-certified toxicologist and director of science for the nonprofit organization Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (tera.org), which studies chemical hazards for both government and industry. He also is executive director of the nonprofit Toxicology Education Foundation (toxedfoundation.org), which helps the public understand concepts in toxicology and specific information about chemicals, and serves as a scientific adviser for the American Council on Science and Health website (acsh.org). Questions from readers are welcome. Send them to yournews@mansfieldnewsjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Michael Dourson shares a colleague's take on toxicology