Detailed Test Explanations
Alain LOMBARD, Philippe C. Lemaire, Jacques L’Haridon, Paule Vasseur · 2025
This chapter contains detailed information and explanations on some of the tests including indicators of potential hazards. In toxicology and ecotoxicology, given the current state of knowledge and experience, priority is given to short tests on cells, isolated organs, bacteria, fish embryos, etc., to obtain rapid indications of a substance's toxic potential. Also known as the quantitative structure–property relationship, these Quantitative structural activity/quantitative structural activity relationship (QSAR) models use molecular descriptors to predict the physicochemical properties and toxicity of one or more chemical substances. QSARs can be built from small databases or extended to a wide variety of substances. Dose–response models establish a relationship between a substance dose and the incidence of a biological effect. Structural alerts (SAs), or toxicophores, are chemical structures known for their specific toxicity. They may consist of a group of atoms with an associated function. SAs are often used in rule-based deduction models.