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==Portal on Marine Ecotoxicology== | ==Portal on Marine Ecotoxicology== | ||
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<u>'''Everything is toxic...'''</u> | <u>'''Everything is toxic...'''</u> | ||
Revision as of 09:34, 3 February 2010
Portal on Marine Ecotoxicology
Everything is toxic...
The founder of toxicology, Paracelsus (1493 - 1541) is most famous for his quote “All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous”. With this, he indicated that in sufficiently large doses all substances can be toxic. At present there are about 100,000 chemicals known which might cause harm to humans or the environment. Ecotoxicology is the study of the harmful effects that chemical substances can have on living organisms and the environment. Information on the occurrence of chemicals and their effects on the environment provides an indication of the pollution level and associated risks. Living organisms can accumulate certain chemicals in their bodies, which is called bioaccumulation.
This portal shows and clarify research related to marine ecotoxicology. Through case studies at different trophic levels you will get acquainted with different groups of toxic substances and their effects on marine and estuarine organisms. This portal also lists the substances from OSPAR and the Waterframework directive.
