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The field of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of poisoning and monitoring the injury or illness from any toxic exposure is known as medical toxicology. This toxic exposure can result from medications, occupation, environmental, and biological agents. Medical toxicologists are physicians involved in the care of patients exposed to any poisonous agent causing potential adverse health effects.

Some of the problems evaluated by a medical toxicologist are intentional or unintentional overdose of therapeutic drugs, over-the-counter drugs, or other drugs of abuse. They also treat patients who have been exposed to industrial chemical products and environmental hazards like heavy metals, pesticides, toxic gases, and radiation. They also help patients with acute withdrawal symptoms from addictive agents like alcohol and drugs.

Medical toxicology is an essential field of medicine because chronic exposure to low doses of environmental chemicals like persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals like lead are known to cause cancer and disrupt the endocrine system. Neurobehavioural disorders are seen in babies who were exposed in utero.