Preface

Chapter 7 **Estrogenic Compounds in Estuarine and Coastal Water**

Maria João Rocha and Eduardo Rocha

and Daniel Junqueira Dorta

**VI** Contents

**Environments of the Iberian Western Atlantic Coast and Selected Locations Worldwide — Relevancy, Trends and Challenges in View of the EU Water Framework Directive 153**

Chapter 8 **Impact of Pesticides on Environmental and Human Health 195**

Mariana Furio Franco Bernardes, Murilo Pazin, Lilian Cristina Pereira

Since the thalidomide tragedy in the 1960s, the theme of toxicology has advanced rapidly over the past decade with emerging innovative toxicity testing protocols, techniques, and regulation being placed. While the discipline of toxicology can be rather complex, having a comprehensive understanding of the principles and mechanisms of foreign substances that can cause toxicity is important for consumers to make decisions about the risks and benefits inherent to issues pertaining to human diseases. Since the bioactivation of many toxins and toxicants and its consequences on human health are not clearly known, special emphasis is devoted by scientists worldwide to understanding how drugs, environmental chemicals and industrial pollutants can cause adverse heath effects. This book provides a unique, integrat‐ ed approach addressing the theory and mechanisms of toxicity, current cutting-edge meth‐ odologies of toxicology, and applications from the latest toxicological studies relevant to human diseases.

Toxicology studies on cell, drug and environment bring the most current state of evidence regarding the role of distinctive toxicants in different living systems. There are three main sections in this book concerning the bases of mitochondrial dysfunction, drug toxicology and environmental toxicology. In the first section, the book puts singular prominence on the effects of toxicants, mainly reactive oxidative species in the cellular level ("Pathological As‐ pects with Global Impact Induced by Toxicants at Cellular Level") leading to mitochondrial dysfunction induced by anticancer agents ("Mitochondrial Dysfunction on the Toxic Effects of Anticancer Agents— From Lab Bench to Bedside") and drug development targeting the mitochondria ("Mitochondrial Targeting for Drug Development") in the pathophysiology of various diseases.

The second section, entitled "Drug Toxicology", explores the effects of xenobiotics under the forensic perspective ("Forensic Toxicology"), introducing different methods and approaches in biological and non-biological matter. In the same section, the clinical manifestations and life-threatening signs/symptoms of tramadol poisoning are also discussed ("Tramadol Poi‐ soning"), bringing important aspects of drug administration.

Finally, the third section explores environmental toxicology. Three chapters are included in this section about the potential deleterious environmental impacts on human health. The first chapter ("How to Answer the Question — Are Drugs Real Threats to Biological Sys‐ tems or Overrated Innocuous Chemicals?") explores a wide-spectrum of the effects of sub‐ stances and its interactions with the biota. The effects of estrogenic endocrine disruptors compounds in water environments are also discussed ("Estrogenic Compounds in Estuarine and Coastal Water Environments of the Iberian Western Atlantic Coast and Selected Loca‐ tions Worldwide — Relevancy, Trends and Challenges in View of the EU Water Framework

Directive), followed by the impact of pesticides on human health ("Impact of Pesticides on Environmental and Human Health").

In this book, 20 prominent experts have equally contributed to develop and explore the sci‐ entific progress that has been made over the last decades in the toxicology field. We are con‐ fident that this book will serve as a guide for researchers and students.

**Ana Cristina Andreazza and Gustavo Scola**

University of Toronto Canada **Bases of Mitochondrial Dysfunction**

Directive), followed by the impact of pesticides on human health ("Impact of Pesticides on

In this book, 20 prominent experts have equally contributed to develop and explore the sci‐ entific progress that has been made over the last decades in the toxicology field. We are con‐

**Ana Cristina Andreazza and Gustavo Scola**

University of Toronto

Canada

fident that this book will serve as a guide for researchers and students.

Environmental and Human Health").

VIII Preface
