The inaugural issue of Current Opinion in Toxicology

During the 20th century the industrial revolution has allowed mankind to synthesize a tremendous number of synthetic chemicals, which without doubt provided us with many beneficial aspects in our way of living. However, not all chemicals that were synthesized were later found to be harmless for humans and the environment. With the introduction of halogenated chemicals and polymer chemistry came the obvious benefits from a health and socio-economic point of view. Nevertheless, in the 1960's there was a growing awareness that synthetic chemicals could also be a risk for human health and environment. In this respect, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) should without doubt be considered as the landmark publication, which changed the way of thinking about benefits and disadvantages of our industrial evolution.