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Article: Poisons
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Poisons
Poisons are substances that are harmful to living organisms. It is said that "the dose makes the poison" because almost any substance can be poisonous at high enough concentrations, especially many substances used as medicines.
Poisons include compounds of biological origin and chemicals manufactured by humans. Biological poisons, also known as toxins, are produced by some members of every living kingdom, including bacteria, fungi, protists, plants, and animals. The chemical industries produce thousands of chemicals, many of which are poisonous. Regulation of workplace exposure to these is the responsibility of the Occupational Safety and Health Agency,
or OSHA. The ...