It focuses on substances and conditions that people may be exposed to in workplaces, including inhalation and dermal exposures, which are most prevalent when discussing occupational toxicology.
These environmental and individual exposures can impact health, and there is a focus on identifying early adverse affects that are more subtle than those presented in clinical medicine.
[2] These sectors contain an increased risk of exposure largely due to the fact that they are working with heavy machinery that can emit potentially harmful fumes when being operated.
[2] Toxicologists have a large role in determining what biomarkers may be used for biomonitoring during exposure assessment and workplace health surveillance activities.
[1][2] Conversely, the results of toxicological investigation are important in establishing biomarkers for workplace health surveillance to identify overexposure and to test the validity of occupational exposure limits.
These biomarkers are intended to aid in prevention by identifying early adverse affects, unlike diagnostics for clinical medicine that are designed to reveal advanced pathological states.
[4] Toxicology also has the advantage of elucidating not only overt health outcomes, but intermediate biochemical steps such as biotransformation processes, as well as early cellular changes.
These affect the relationship between the concentration, duration, and frequency of the exposure, and the actual toxicant dose that reaches a target tissue and interacts with metabolic processes.
Animal testing is used to identify adverse effects and establish acceptable exposure levels, as well as studying the mechanism of action and dose–response relationship.
[9] Biomarkers began to be used in occupational toxicology and epidemiology in the 1970s, and the 1990s showed increasing focus on molecular mechanisms such as identifying specific enzymes that interact with toxicants, and studying their variation across individuals.