The term "toxicity" is used in two different senses (i) Capacity to cause injury to a living organism; (ii) Any adverse effects of a chemical on a living organism See Adverse effect The severity of toxicity produced by any chemical is directly proportional to the exposure concentration and the exposure time This relationship varies with the developmental stage of an organism and with its physiological status
The ability of a substance to cause damage to living tissue; impairment of the central nervous system; severe illness; or (in extreme cases) death when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by the skin Amounts required to produce these results vary widely with the nature of the substances and the time of exposure
The occurrence of lethal or sublethal adverse effects on organisms due to exposure to toxic materials Adverse effects caused by conditions of temperature, dissolved oxygen, or nontoxic dissolved substances are excluded from the definition of toxicity
The extent, quality, or degree to which a substance is poisonous; in other words, the degree to which it interferes with normal physiological functions Because almost any substance can be poisonous if consumed in sufficient quantity, toxicity generally refers to intake of excessive dosages
A U S EPA hazardous waste characteristic defined with a rigorous test procedure, the TCLP (for Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) In the procedure, a waste is extracted for 24 hours with an acetic acid solution The acid extract is then analyzed for the presence of any of the contaminants listed in the procedure
The degree to which a substance or mixture of substances can harm humans or animals Acute toxicity involves harmful effects in an organism through a single or short-term exposure Chronic toxicity is the ability of a substance or mixture of substances to cause harmful effects over an extended period, usually upon repeated or continuous exposure sometimes lasting for the entire life of the exposed organism
The potential of a substance to exert a harmful effect on humans or animals and a description of the effect and the conditions or concentration under which the effect takes place
The degree to which a chemical substance elicits a deleterious or adverse effect upon the biological system of an organism exposed to the substance over a designated time period
the degree to which substance is poisonous or injurious to a plant or animal Toxicity is one consideration in assessing the hazard in handling a particular pesticide