Ecotoxicology

Ecotoxicology is the study of how organisms, ecosystems, and populations are affected by toxic chemicals. This can occur at the population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. This field is multidisciplinary and integrates toxicology and ecology. It examines how biological systems can be disrupted by pollutants such as pesticides and insecticides. Ecotoxicology is used to understand and predict how pollution will affect environmental systems. This knowledge allows for environmental damage to be prevented or reduced. Where pollution has already affected an ecosystem, ecotoxicology studies can identify ways to restore ecosystem services, structures, and functions. Ecotoxicology differs from environmental toxicology; it examines the effects of pollution across all biological levels, from molecular to entire ecosystems. Environmental toxicology, on the other hand, focuses specifically on how organisms are affected, specifically human health. Ecotoxicology is a relatively young discipline that made its debut in the 1970s.