Process-oriented descriptions of toxic effects
Kooijman, S. A. L. M. 1997. Process-oriented descriptions of toxic
effects. In: Schü}ürmann, G. and Markert,
B. Ecotoxicology Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, 483 - 519.
Abstract
This chapter starts with a discussion of the scienti c problems that
are inherent to the stan- dard NOEC/EC50-analysis of toxicity data. It
then shows that a move from purely descriptive statistics to a
mechanistic analysis of toxic e ects on physiological processes can
remove these problems in a way that is still practical. The Dynamic
Energy Budget theory provides an excel- lent framework to quantify the
e ects of compounds with di erent modes of action. The resulting
toxicity measures have very simple relationships with physical
chemical properties, such as the octanol-water partition coe cient and
the pH, which can be derived from rst principles. These toxicity
measures do not depend on the length of the exposure time to the
toxicant.