Sipping From a Poisoned Chalice.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Kaiser, Jocelyn
  • Source:
    Science. 10/17/2003, Vol. 302 Issue 5644, p376-379. 3p. 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Graph.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      POISONS; DIOXINS; HORMESIS; DRUGS
    • Abstract:
      People have believed since antiquity that tiny doses of toxicants can be healthful. Now hormesis, a concept once discredited in scientific circles, is making a surprising comeback. Dioxin and its chemical cousins are among the most deadly compounds on Earth. Scientists are suggesting what would have been unthinkable not long ago: testing modified dioxins as an anticancer agent in humans. Hormesis is alluring because it challenges the conventional wisdom that toxicants and radiation punish the body at even the smallest of doses.