Toxic injury

Toxic injury is damage to an organism or its tissues caused by exposure to a poisonous substance. Its effects depend on the substance, dose, route, and duration of exposure.

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Toxicokinetics: The study of how a toxic substance is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by an organism. These processes determine which tissues encounter a toxicant and for how long.
Toxicology: The study of harmful effects of chemical, physical, and biological agents on living organisms. Toxic injury is one outcome examined within this broader discipline.
Poisoning: Illness or injury caused by exposure to a substance in a harmful amount. Acute poisoning is a common clinical presentation of toxic injury.
Mechanical injury: Damage to the body caused by physical forces such as impact, compression, or cutting. Unlike toxic injury, it begins with physical force rather than a poisonous substance.
Organ failure: The loss of an organ's ability to perform functions necessary to maintain health or life. Extensive toxic damage can overwhelm an organ's functional reserve.
Toxicodynamics: The study of how toxic substances interact with biological targets and produce harmful effects. It explains how exposure becomes cellular and tissue damage.
Exposure pathway: The route by which a substance moves from its source to a person or other organism. Ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact can produce different patterns of injury.
Drug-induced liver injury: Liver damage caused by prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, or other medicinal products. It illustrates how toxic injury can target a particular organ.
Radiation injury: Tissue damage caused by exposure to ionizing or non-ionizing radiation. It arises from energy exposure, not necessarily from a chemical toxicant.
Fibrosis: Excess deposition of connective tissue that can distort organ structure and impair function. Chronic toxic injury can trigger scarring that persists after exposure ends.