Eckardt R E, Scala R A
J Occup Med. 1978 Jul;20(7):490-3. doi: 10.1097/00043764-197807000-00012.
Some of the fundamentals of toxicology that are used by the toxicologist in assessing the toxic properties of compounds have been discussed. It is easy to see that a large amount of keen professional judgment must enter into the toxicologist's decisions. It is not a job that can be done by an amateur, even though some well meaning lay and political associates may believe they are capable of doing so. The toxicologist's job is not finished when he has determined the toxicological properties of a compound. He then has to assess the hazard of the compound, an infinitely more complex and complicated task. In the end, as stated by Dr. Mrak, "There are no harmless substances, there are only harmless ways of using substances" (quoted in Reference 1, p. 11).
毒理学家在评估化合物毒性特性时所使用的一些毒理学基本原理已经讨论过了。很容易看出，毒理学家的决策必须融入大量敏锐的专业判断。这不是一项业余人员能够完成的工作，尽管一些善意的非专业人士和政治团体成员可能认为他们有能力做到。当毒理学家确定了一种化合物的毒理学特性时，他的工作并没有完成。然后，他必须评估该化合物的危害，这是一项无比复杂的任务。最后，正如姆拉克博士所说：“没有无害的物质，只有使用物质的无害方式”（引自参考文献1，第11页）。
