What Is a Toxicologist? A Career Guide

A toxicologist is responsible for investigating the adverse effects of chemicals on the health of humans, animals, and the environment. This may include new medicines, illegal drugs, materials, natural substances, and radiation. Toxicologists can work in various specializations for many different types of employers after pursuing a high-level education. Job opportunities and progression are positive for those who specialize in certain areas.

What does a toxicologist do?

A toxicologist works in the laboratory and the field as part of a team, studying the risks associated with substances and conducting risk assessments on exposure scenarios to decide the best resources to keep the public safe. Part of the role is assessing the effects on future technology and developments relating to the findings, such as drug treatments, building materials, and consumer products. 

Areas of toxicology

The toxicology field is broad and includes many areas, from forensics to medicine. Specializations include:

• Clinical toxicology: Providing toxicological diagnosis for poisoned patients

• Regulatory toxicology: Assessing health hazards

• Occupational toxicology: Investigating health risks of chemicals in the workplace

• Forensic toxicology: Providing information to the legal system on illegal drugs and chemicals

• Medical/pharmaceutical toxicology: Investigating the unwanted effects of drug treatments

• Environmental toxicology: Investigating the impact of chemicals on the environment

• Aquatic toxicology: Investigating the effects of chemicals on marine organisms

• Terrestrial toxicologist: Focusing on the effect on organisms following exposure to artificial or natural chemicals in soil

• Neurotoxicologist: Studying the effects of toxic systems on the nervous system

Toxicologist duties and responsibilities

The primary duties and responsibilities will vary depending on the specialty area, but toxicologists tend to carry out a wide range of tasks. Researching substances, conducting experiments, and producing reports are typical for most toxicologists. Other duties include:

• Researching and identifying any substances harmful to humans, animals, or the environment

• Participating in controlled experiments to evaluate the safety of chemicals and assess risk 

• Devising regulations for the uses of certain substances and providing advice on their handling

• Complying with regulatory bodies to ensure safe practices within local, national, and international guidelines

• Producing reports, presenting findings, and advising on effective treatment for organisms or environments affected by adverse chemicals

• Providing rigorous quality control and data management

Medical toxicologists' role might include diagnosing poisoning and advising on effective treatment. This may consist of people who have come in contact with certain chemicals or ingested them as a drug overdose.

Forensic toxicologists often present findings and evidence in court if chemicals were used illegally.

Toxicologist salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a toxicologist is $165,372, with an estimated additional pay of $58,326 [1].

The employment of medical scientists, including toxicologists, is expected to grow 11 percent between 2023 and 2033 [2]. Once you have begun work as a toxicologist, it is possible to specialize in a niche area or move into related fields, such as environmental pollution or food safety. 

Toxicologist education requirements

To work as a toxicologist, you need a bachelor's degree as a minimum. This should be in toxicology or a related subject such as chemistry, biomedical sciences, forensics, or environmental studies.

However, many opportunities will require a higher qualification. While a bachelor's degree may help you secure a job as a laboratory assistant or a laboratory technician in toxicology, a more senior position will likely ask for a master's degree or even a PhD.

To move up into more senior positions, experience, and a PhD will be an advantage. If you already have a doctoral degree in a related field, move up in your career by working as a postdoctoral fellow in a toxicology laboratory. Doing so will boost your experience in project management, grant writing, and team management.

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Do toxicologists go to medical school?

As an aspiring toxicologist, your education requirements may include a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD program. You typically do not need to attend medical school in order to become a toxicologist. However, if you have an interest in medical toxicology, you will need to go to medical school and complete a fellowship, as well as become board-certified. 

Toxicologist skills

In addition to technical knowledge, toxicologists should possess workplace skills such as the following:

• Attention to detail: It’s essential to pay close attention to detail when dealing with substances that could be dangerous to health. You must be patient, efficient, and able to gather results under pressure without compromising quality.

• Logic: You need to be a logical and independent thinker when conducting research. You must be open to all possibilities but logical and methodical in your approach.

• Teamwork: Most toxicologists work in a team to conduct research and analyze findings. This means you need excellent teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others. You may work with people and bodies outside your team on projects impacting public health.

• Communication: Being able to communicate well both verbally and in writing is essential. Much of a toxicologist's work translates complex information into a way the public can understand. This could be through writing reports or presenting findings to your team, institutions, or the public.

• Organization: Being organized is critical when working in a laboratory setting to ensure everyone follows health and safety procedures. Labels should be clear, and everyone in the lab needs to know what they should be doing, especially as you are likely to work with hazardous chemicals.

• Time management: Working as a toxicologist can be time-dependent, for example, when working on a public health problem that needs answers quickly to ensure the health and safety of others. Working to deadlines and time frames is part of the role.

• Data analysis: As a toxicologist, your role includes conducting research and analyzing the data. Therefore, toxicologists are skilled in collecting and translating data into something meaningful, writing reports, and presenting findings.

Where do toxicologists work?

The chemical, pharmaceutical, and consumer product industries are the biggest employers of toxicologists. Once you are qualified, you can work in any of these areas.

Academia is the next biggest employer for toxicologists, followed by government, consulting firms, and research foundations. Those working in academic institutions tend to be in schools of medicine or public health or placed in large hospitals. They may also teach in smaller colleges as part of some scientific and engineering courses.

Government roles tend to be in forensics, occupational health, or concerned with environmental factors, while research foundations and consulting firms are likely to cover a variety of areas.

Get started in toxicology with Coursera

A career as a toxicologist begins with earning a science-related bachelor's degree. If you’re interested in a toxicology career but are unsure where to start, check out this beginner's Evidence-Based Toxicology course offered by Johns Hopkins University.