Toxicology testing, also known as
safety assessment, or
toxicity testing, is conducted to determine the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. It is often conducted by researchers using standard test procedures to comply with governing regulations, for example for medicines and pesticides. Much toxicology is considered to be part of the field of
preclinical development. Stages of
in vitro and
in vivo research are conducted to determine safe doses of exposure in humans before a
first-in-man study. Toxicology testing may be conducted by the
pharmaceutical industry,
biotechnology companies or
contract research organizations.