For decades, researchers largely assumed that a poison’s effects increase as the dose rises and diminish as it falls. However, scientists are increasingly documenting unexpected effects—sometimes disproportionately adverse, sometimes beneficial—at extremely low doses of radiation and toxic chemicals.
Consider the environmentally ubiquitous plastic-softening agent, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.