The aim of the present paper is to inform Polish occupational physicians about a new medical discipline called immunotoxicology which developed during last decades. The importance of immunotoxicology resides in the fact that examinations performed on its basis make it possible to understand some toxic mechanisms which could not have been explained so far studying biochemical disorders. Immunotoxicology is regarded as an extension of toxicology. According to the principles of immunology, organism's reactions to xenobiotics action depends on the mechanisms regulating immunological system, i.e. on its activity or suppression. Considering the present scientific achievements, it can be said that both these states are related to disregulation of homeostatic mechanisms. Owing to the informative nature of this paper, many examples of immunological reactions were adopted from the relatively rich world literature. Readers who are interested in more comprehensive information may refer to source literature.
