Toxicology is a field of science that many of us have heard of, but few could describe it in detail. Below, we’ll give a brief overview of the field of toxicology, what a toxicologist does, and the benefits of a career as a toxicologist if you’re considering it as a profession.
What Does a Toxicologist Do?
Before we get into the advantages of a career in toxicology, what does a toxicologist do? Toxicology is the field of science interested in understanding toxins, their effects, and their movement through the human body, animals, and the environment.
Toxicologists want to establish, identify, and quantify the toxins in a source—a human body, animal, or ecosystem. Toxicology is sometimes called the science of safety, as it grew from the original study of poisons and harmful chemicals. There are many different types of toxicology that a toxicologist can specialize in, from forensic to chemical and pharmaceutical toxicology.
Why Should I Consider a Career in Toxicology?
So, we understand what toxicology is, but what are the benefits of a career as a toxicologist? Well, if you enjoy working in the sciences, toxicology gives you plenty of options for your specialty and is a field that provides essential, meaningful research and work.
Specialty Diversity
One of the great things about studying toxicology is that there are so many avenues of research that allow toxicologists to work in a field they’re passionate about. If you’re interested in law and order, you could use your scientific skills as a forensic toxicologist to help law enforcement catch criminals and exonerate innocent people—as they regularly are expert witnesses and give testimony.
Perhaps you’re more interested in our world or the animals that populate it. In that case, you could become an environmental toxicologist to identify and study the movement of toxins in the environment. Wherever your interests lie, there’s a branch of toxicology for you.
Meaningful Public Work
The cornerstone of being a toxicologist is providing vital information to help others avoid exposure to harmful substances and toxins. Whichever branch of toxicology you choose, your research can be invaluable to governments and regulatory agencies for things like clean drinking water standards, pharmaceutical safety, or workplace safety.
Toxicology is the safety of science, and if you want a career that helps people, toxicology is an excellent choice.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many advantages to joining the field of toxicology. If the sciences interest you and want you to help people, a career in toxicology may be ideal for you!
