Dose Response

Hello, this is my second blog of this toxicology class. Tis blog is about Dose Response and all things that go with it. The dose–response relationship, or exposure–response relationship, describes the change in effect on an organism caused by different levels of exposure (or doses) to an organism (usually a chemical ) after a certain exposure time. This may apply to individuals (e.g.: a small amount has no significant effect, a large amount is fatal), or to populations (e.g.: how many people or organisms are affected at different levels of exposure). Dose–response relationships generally depend on the exposure time and exposure route (e.g., inhalation, dietary intake); quantifying the response after a different exposure time or for a different route leads to a different relationship and possibly different conclusions on the effects of the stressor under consideration. This limitation is caused by the complexity of biological systems and the often unknown biological processes operating between the external exposure and the adverse cellular or tissue response. Dose Response can be a very complex matter to deal with but is easy to comprehend. When it all boils down to it. The same dose of a substance effects everybody differently. That is why toxicology is so important. Humans and living organisms are all different. We all react to things differently. But if we can find a good medium to base all of our test off of. We can at least have a little bit of an idea on how to keep people safe when dealing with dosages of substances. If you want to have a little more background research on Dose/ Response before reading the rest of this blog, click here….http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/dose%E2%80%93response

The next thing I am going to talk about is threshold dose. Threshold dose is the minimum dose that will produce a detectable specified effect. To learn more about threshold dose click here…..http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/threshold-dose.html

            The next thing I am going to talk about is toxicity ratings. Toxicity Ratings refers to a classification system that has been created by a national or international government-related or -sponsored organization. It addresses the acute toxicity of agents such as soil fumigants, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, miticides, molluscicides, nematicides, orrodenticides. This toxicity rating scale is a very good tool to have, This tool can help prevent death if used correctly. When talking about Dose Response, another thing you should probably mention is the reference dose.  A reference dose is the United States Environmental Protection Agency's maximum acceptable oral dose of a toxic substance. Reference doses are most commonly used for pesticides. The EPA defines an oral reference dose (RfD) as an estimate, with uncertainty order of magnitude, of a daily oral exposure to the human population is likely to be without a terrible risk of harmful effects during a lifetime. A reference dose is also a very good tool to have in your arsenal when dealing with toxic substances. To learn more about reference dose click here…https://www.epa.gov/iris/reference-dose-rfd-description-and-use-health-risk-assessments

            The final thing I am going to talk about is the relationship between a certain amount of dosage to the time that goes along with it, When you are dealing with Dose Response. Not every single substance reacts in your body the same. Time is a very big factor in that. If you take to big of a dosage at one time it can be deadly. But if you take the same amount in a longer extended period of time, it might not have the same effect. Time plays a big factor.