Applied Ecotoxicology

Book excerpt: This new book illustrates the complex nature of ecotoxicological issues, using pesticides as an example. It focuses on the assessment and monitoring of the amounts of pollutants in the environment and the subsequent damage. The text provides the basic information and methodology to help the reader determine the extent of ecological damage caused by a given substance. Legislatures in industrialized countries have taken the initiative in dealing with these issues by formulating new priorities for environmental protection. Applied Ecotoxicology describes these regulatory efforts, which are separated by their two distinct objectives: those that seek to expand the scope of protection against the pollutants' negative impacts, and those shifting the level of investigation from the individual to the ecosystem. Pollutants are only one of a number of different environmental factors to which organisms are exposed. Their impact in the field is presented in the context of other forms of human intervention in the environment. The increasing use of pesticides in tropical regions, a growing ecotoxicological concern in these countries, is also discussed.