Abstract
Predictive ecotoxicology emphasizes the probable environmental outcome of exposure to toxics, rather than the mere appraisal of existing damage, and in so doing raises some complex but interesting ethical issues. Awareness of endocrine-disrupting chemicals is blurring the line between humankind and other life forms in toxicity testing by providing evidence that both humans and wildlife suffer adverse reproductive and developmental effect. There is a wide variety of chemicals that have been reported as potential endocrine disruptors. Finally, with the increasing loss of wildlife habitat, protecting the quality and ultimate fate of the remaining habitat from the effects of toxic sub- stances becomes increasingly important to the moral quest for sustainable use of the planet.
Highlights
Ecotoxicology is a logical extension of the field of toxicology
Ecotoxicology applies to all biological organization levels, from a single species embedded in its niche to the biosphere, including humans
Persuasive evidence exists that endocrine disruptors cause adverse reproductive and development effects on a wide variety of species; a wide variety of chemicals have been reported as potential endocrine disruptors
Summary
Ecotoxicology (the science of the potential effects of toxicants upon the biosphere) is a logical extension of the field of toxicology (the science of the effects of chemical substances upon individual organisms). The rate at which chemical substances are introduced into the environment exceeds humankind’s ability to satisfactorily evaluate their environmental impact. How to use these findings for minimizing humankind’s impact on the environment is both an ethical and regulatory issue. The latter will only be true if the primary responsibility is delegated to nation states (Cairns 1993). Humankind is engaged in a global experiment in which there have been massive changes in both the biological and physical worlds. Never before in human history has humankind introduced toxicants into ecosystems on such a scale and with such speed
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