title: Aquatic toxicology: past, present, and prospects.
abstract: Aquatic organisms have played important roles as early warning and monitoring systems for pollutant burdens in our environment. However, they have significant potential to do even more, just as they have in basic biology where preparations like the squid axon have been essential tools in establishing physiological and biochemical mechanisms. This review provides a brief summary of the history of aquatic toxicology, focusing on the nature of aquatic contaminants, the levels of contamination in our waters, and the origins of these agents. It considers the features of the aquatic environment that determine the availability of xenobiotics to aquatic life and the fate of foreign chemicals within the organism. Finally, toxic effects are considered with primary emphasis on the potential of aquatic models to facilitate identification of the underlying mechanisms of toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Pritchard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000009:adverse effects; D005544:Forecasting; D014116:Toxicology / Q000639:trends*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical