Toxicity

News Toxicity

• Animal-free method predicts nanoparticle toxicity for safer industrial materials
  

  Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München together with scientists across Europe developed a novel animal-free method to predict the toxic effect of nanoparticles to the human lung. The method aims to enable the safety-by-design development of safer industrial materials. Our lungs are exposed to a mu more

• Are bioplastics and plant-based materials safer than conventional plastics?
  

  So-called “bioplastics” are marketed as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional, petroleum-based plastics. They can be made from renewable feedstock, might be bio-degradable or even both. The question is however if these biomaterials are safer than conventional plastics with regard t more

• Chemicals in the environment: A focus on mixtures
  

  In the past, it was sufficient to identify individual chemicals as the cause of detrimental effects on humans and the environment. But in the meantime, it has become apparent that this approach falls short of the mark. This is because the real world is marked by multiple stressors, among them cockta more

Videos Toxicity

Bacteria Found to Produce Compounds Toxic to Humans

A Scripps Oceanography-led research team discovered for the first time that a common marine sponge hosts bacteria that specialize in the production of toxic compounds nearly identical to man-made fire retardants. more

Infographics Toxicity

Natural vs. Man-Made Chemicals

The term ‘chemophobia’ has been used on social media amongst chemists with increasing regularity over the past year. Defined as ‘a fear of chemicals’, more specifically it refers to the growing tendency for the public to be suspicious and critical of the presence of any man-made (synthetic) chemical more

The Chemistry of Poisons

This graphic is the first in a planned series looking at the effects and chemistry of a range of different poisons. As such, it seemed appropriate to start with one of the most well known poisons: arsenic. Arsenic has been used by poisoners for centuries, primarily in the form of white arsenic, or a more

The Chemistry of Deodorants vs. Antiperspirants

Deodorants and antiperspirants are products that the majority of us make use of everyday. The two terms aren’t interchangeable, however; there is a difference in the manner in which they act to reduce body odour. Today’s graphic is a collaboration with ACS Reactions looking at the chemical compounds more

Publications Toxicity

• Cytotoxicity studies of selected cadmium-based quantum dots on 2D vs. 3D cell cultures

  In our work, the cytotoxicity of selected, cadmium-based quantum dots with various surface architectures was studied on 3D spheroids. A specially designed microsystem as a tool for three-dimensional cell culture and nanoparticle toxicity evaluation was used for this aim. Two types of hydrophilic qua more

• Structural investigations of SnS1-xSex solid solution synthesized from chalcogeno-carboxylate complexes of organo-tin by the colloidal and solvent-less route

  Tin chalcogenides are important semiconducting materials due to their non-toxicity, cost effectiveness and layered structure. In this study, a facile synthetic route has been used for the synthesis of a bis(selenobenzoato)dibutyltin(IV) complex, and used along with the bis(thiobenzoato)dibutyltin(IV more

• Implementation of a logic gate by chemically induced nitrogen and oxygen rich C-dots for the selective detection of fluoride ions

  The widespread pollution of fluoride ions in the environment badly affects the ecological system due to their high toxicity, mobility and the difficulty of their degradation. So, there is a need to design an environmentally friendly, highly selective and sensitive probe for their detection. Here, we more

q&more articles Toxicity

• The Right Dose
  

  Although acute toxicity studies in animals are an indispensable prerequisite for the ­realisation of clinical trials in humans, these can only be projected to humans to a limited extent, and thus are scientifically problematic and ethically questionable. Therefore, the international regulatory authorities increasingly recommend the use of alternative in vitro methods in the framework of safety studies in accordance with the ”3R Principle“ (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). more