Free eBook: Health Effects of Common Chemicals

Steven Gilbert, Ph.D., has compiled a user-friendly book of toxicology titled A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals, which is suitable for all audiences and focuses on toxic hazards in everyday life. Dr. Gilbert is director and founder of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders in Seattle, Washington, and Affiliate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington.

A Small Dose of Toxicology is an excellent introductory toxicology textbook that examines the health effects of common chemical agents and places toxicology within the framework of our daily lives. Toxic agents covered include not only obvious candidates such as lead, mercury, and solvents, but familiar compounds such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Additional chapters cover basic toxicology, targets of toxic agents, and applied toxicology.

The first edition (2004) is available in paperback on Amazon. The second edition (2012) is available only as an e-book and contains numerous hyperlinks to PowerPoint presentations and articles on Toxipedia, the free wiki-based toxicology encyclopedia. Links to references and other informational websites are also included. Head over to Healthy World Press and download your free copy in EPUB, Kindle MOBI, or PDF formats.

Online Edition – Go to the A Small Dose of Toxicology website and scroll down the page to view the Table of Contents and review the chapters (chapter links open as PDFs). The third edition (2013) adds additional chapters on new topics such as air/water/soil pollution and nanotechnology.

Teaching Resources – Each chapter has a PowerPoint presentation for use in teaching or chapter review at the A Small Dose of Toxicology website. This would make a great high school course for homeschoolers interested in the fields of science and health!

Awards – The first edition of A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals was listed by the British Medical Association Library as “Highly Commended” in the 2004 Public Health category book competition.