Philip C. Burcham An Introduction to Toxicology 123 An Introduction to Toxicology Philip C. Burcham An Introduction to Toxicology Philip C. Burcham School of Medicine and Pharmacology The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia ISBN 978-1-4471-5552-2 ISBN 978-1-4471-5553-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4471-5553-9 Springer London Heidelberg New York Dordrecht Library of Congress Control Number: 2013954873 © Springer-Verlag London 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) For my wonderful parents About th e Author After undergraduate majors in chemistry and pharmacology, Phil Burcham com- pleted a Ph.D. in biochemical toxicology in 1990 under the supervision of Dr. Andrew W Harman at the University of Western Australia. He then completed post- doctoral training in molecular toxicology under Lawrence J Marnett at Vanderbilt University. After teaching pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Adelaide for 12 years, he returned to Perth to establish a research group focused on studying noxious smoke constituents. His research efforts have led to 55 scientifi c publications. He has over 20 years of experience in teaching toxicology, pharmacol- ogy and drug metabolism to science, medicine, pharmacy, podiatry and dentistry students. His popular team-taught freshers course, Drugs that Changed the World , attracts over 400 enrolments. He currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Chemical Research in Toxicology and the Editorial Board of T oxicological Sciences . He is also a member of the toxicology subsection of the Faculty of 1,000 (Biology) . vii Pref ace Some fi ve or six decades ago, the normal perils of childbirth were shockingly escalated for an unsuspecting generation of mothers in Germany, Canada, Australia and the UK. In a ghastly epidemic that unfolded over several years beginning in the late 1950s, distraught parents were confronted by the birth of babies with severely disfi gured upper and lower limbs. By the time the sedative drug thalidomide was identifi ed as the culprit, some 10,000 infants were affected – assailed within the womb by a poison that condemned its victims to lives of struggle and signifi cantly reduced horizons. The thalidomide disaster was a jarring wake-up call to a generation of scientists, regulators and physicians, a sharp lesson concerning the need for extreme diligence when testing new drugs for safety and unexpected harmful effects. Inspired by the scope of the disaster, a whole branch of science blossomed into existence – m odern toxicology . New scientifi c societies dedicated to studying the harmful effects of drugs and industrial chemicals promptly emerged. New journals appeared for toxi- cologists wishing to publish their research fi ndings. Innovative scientifi c institu- tions as well as university departments offering toxicology training programmes were established all around the world. In today’s fast-moving research enterprise, fi ve decades is a very long time, yet recent history suggests the societal need for toxicology expertise remains as strong as ever. Many signifi cant toxicity-related episodes rocked the global community during the fi rst decade of the new millennium. These included the withdrawal of the arthritis drug Vioxx due to cardiotoxicity concerns; the adulteration of infant for- mula with the protein-mimic melamine; the contamination of children’s toys with lead-containing paints or the solvent 1,4-butanediol; the fi nding of high acrylamide levels in potato chips; and many deaths in Bangladesh and Nigeria due to respective outbreaks of arsenic and lead poisoning. In the USA, ongoing controversies over the human and environmental impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill as well as chronic exposure to high-volume synthetic chemicals such as the plasticiser Bisphenol A or the herbicide atrazine show that toxicological issues still arouse great public concern. In an era shaped by social media in which immediate, emotive reactions govern public responses to many issues, the need for rigorous, science- based investigation of chemically induced disease remains high. ix