Immunotoxicology (sometimes abbreviated as ITOX) is the study of the
toxicity
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacteria, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect o ...
of foreign substances called
xenobiotic
A xenobiotic is a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present within the organism. It can also cover substances that are present in much higher concentrations than are usual. Natural compo ...
s and their effects on the immune system.
Some toxic agents that are known to alter the immune system include: industrial chemicals, heavy metals, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, drugs, ultraviolet radiation, air pollutants and some biological materials.
The effects of these immunotoxic substances have been shown to alter both the