This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1958.

The two volumes comprising this new handbook provide a unique resource for studies involving toxicity profiles in aquatic, avian, and mammalian species. The arrangement of material in alphabetical order by species allows the reader straightforward access to information on the effects of chemicals on various life forms. For each group of species, the acute and chronic (short- and long-term) toxicity data are arranged in descending order, enabling the reader to evaluate the relative toxicity of chemicals for any given species. This arrangement of data also indicates the relative importance of exposure routes. Toxicity profiles include LC50 values, cancer indices, and Virtually Safe Doses (VSDs) and are provided for each organ. In addition, the Handbook provides important comparisons of identical toxicity testing methods and duration of exposure (e.g., LC5096h) to arrive at a ratio. The ambient concentration and its ratio to the toxic level will assist in selecting the cut-off chemical. This approach helps the reader to maximize the use of resources and to generate data that are specifically relevant to the species and ecosystem under study. The species-specific approach in the Handbook of Chemical Toxicity Profiles of Biological Species makes it a powerful tool for a wide range of studies. It may be used, for example, in evaluating the status of endangered or other species, making impact assessments, developing regulatory controls, and determining important areas for future research.